Rise of the Warrior
by TheTwilightKnight
Summary: Being reborn was not something Tatsumi ever expected to happen to him after his death by Esdese hands. Now in the new world Tatsumi enjoys living a peaceful life... but peace doesn't lasts forever. Does contain Spoilers for AGK and Highschool DxD.
1. Chapter 1

**A/Ns are bottom of the chapter, be sure to read them.**

**There are Spoilers for AGK and Highschool DxD in this story. Read at your own risk**

**I do not own Akame Ga Kiru/Kill or Highschool DxD or any other elements that may be used in this story**

* * *

_"To think... it's been sixteen years since that day."_

Tatsumi sat behind his desk while scribbling down notes as the teacher lectured on the proper use and primary function of the quadratic formula. However, his mind was in a much different place then in mathematics class, which was understandable since it's not everyday that the anniversary of your reincarnation and birthday rolled around.

It started sixteen years ago, when he was born into this world with all the memories of his past life. Every battle, every drop of blood spilled, every enemy... and ally killed. He remembered it all and it was hard to not to think about it. Although, before one could even be reincarnated... one had to die first… and that particular memory wasn't one easily forgotten.

Unconsciously, Tatsumi lifted his hand right above his heart. _"Sometimes… I can still feel it." _He thought, a somber look on his face.

Esdese.

She was the one that delivered the blow that ended his life... but he had done the same to her in return. They went down together, it was a fitting end he believed, and she probably did too. Neither one would give into the other and naturally, they were destined to become enemies. It was impossible for both of them to get what they wanted in a situation like that, and of course, somebody got hurt.

The battle with Esdese went as well as one would have expected: a one sided beating like no other. She was crushing him no matter how hard he tried to fight her... but it was well worth it because everything he, Night Raid, and the Revolutionary Army had worked for was being realized. The corrupt empire behind all the suffering, all the death and anguish was falling. The prime minister, Honest, had been killed. In Tatsumi's last vision of the world he left behind, he saw the Night Raid flag bellow in the wind of the courtyard. Finally, after all of that suffering, it was finally over.

_"Well... at least I didn't die in vain so I'm happy."_ Tatsumi commented in his mind as someone walked by and placed something on his desk.

Then there was the awakening, being born into this world which was a very interesting feeling that Tatsumi couldn't really explain. Although, it wasn't a feeling that was easily forgotten since he was fully aware of what was happening from beginning to the end. It was quite strange but after it was all said and done, Tatsumi got to meet Sayuri and Yamada, his mother and father. Yes, they were his parents, and the reason that he was here at Kuoh Academy, a private school that used to be all-girls. That was with both benefits... and drawbacks.

"Alright class, it's self-study until I deal with some faculty matters." The teacher said as he left

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow when he noticed the large mass of goods that had amassed on his desk. An assortment of different tins, foils, bags, and small boxes filled with cookies or candies.

_"Not this again." _He thought with a cringe before turning to the side to see a group of older female students giving him cutesy little waves. _"Why won't they leave me alone?"_

Ah yes, this was one of those drawbacks... or benefits depending on interpenetration. Since middle school, Tatsumi noticed that for one reason or another he was very popular among the older female students, even the ones that were in the same grade but were a year or two older. He didn't know why and he didn't really bother asking either but stuff like this happened all the time. He lost count of how many gifts he had been given in the last year or so from the older classmates and even the teachers. Even now, in his 2nd year at Kuoh this stuff is still happening.

Tatsumi eyed the pile of treats curiously before picking out a round piece with a transparent yellow wrapping. _"Hmm... butterscotch."_ He unwrapped the candy and tossed it into his mouth before his green eyes shifted towards a group of boys sitting in the back. They were glaring pure murder at him. _"Oh brother."_

Despite being so popular with the older female students, Tatsumi was painfully average in the eyes of his other classmates, namely the male ones. Asides from his average popularity he had average grades, was a member of an average music club, and had an average part-time job at an average cafe. In all meanings of the word, Tatsumi's life was average. But... that didn't mean he felt average, it was quite the contrary actually. He felt like something was missing, that there was something out of place and no matter how long Tatsumi thought about it there was only one possible answer.

Incursio.

One of the 48 Teigus, Imperial Arms, created by the first emperor in order to strengthen his empire. The Demon Armor: Incursio was made from an extremely powerful and dangerous danger beast known as the Tyrant that could evolve to suit its needs and take on stronger opponents. Incursio was originally wielded by Braht but... it was just part of the inheritance, as was Braht's will.

_"I wonder what happened to Incursio." _Tatsumi wondered as he sat back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

Strangely, Incursio just vanished without a trace. The armor and the key both disappeared as Tatsumi laid dying. Why they had just disappeared was beyond Tatsumi, but the fact was that they were gone and weren't likely to return was very clear. Although, there was a part of him that felt that maybe... just maybe…

Suddenly the bell rang and everyone got up to leave, but Tatsumi stayed a minute longer to take half of the treats he got and put them into a bag. He got his stuff ready, picked up the remaining treats, and left to his next class. It was chemistry... oh the joy.

* * *

As Tatsumi walked towards his next class he felt that someone had tugged on his sleeve instead of calling out to him, or in some other way verbal way getting his attention. Tatsumi smiled and stopped walking before looking over his shoulder to see a girl. The girl was very petite, being shorter than Mein. She was in the four feet range, had short white hair in a bob cut with two black cat shaped hairpins, hazel eyes, and a very child-like appearance despite being a high school student. Her name was Koneko Toujou, a first year, apparent cat lover, and Tatsumi's good friend.

Their relationship was an interesting one to say the least. One could best compare it a pet owner feeding their pet... figuratively speaking of course. But it was ironic that they did become close after Tatsumi gave her some sweets though. There was no questioning something like that, food was the fastest way to someone's heart apparently.

"Hello Koneko-chan." Tatsumi said as he produced the bag of treats he made earlier.

"...hello." The white haired girl replied in a low monotone voice as she was accustomed to doing.

"These are for you." Tatsumi said as he handed the bag of treats to Koneko, who took them curiously.

"Thank you." The girl said as the two started to walk down the hallway side by side. "Are you working today?"

Tatsumi shook his head. "I work tomorrow since I have a club meeting today."

The white haired girl nodded, she could understand that since she was in a club too. Although, she was very secretive about her club for whatever reason, so whenever Tatsumi asked her about it all she did was stare at him or change the subject. The only piece of information that he could ever coax out of her, even with sweets as a bribe, was that she was in the Occult Research Club. That was it, nothing more and nothing less. After not getting an answer the first dozen times he asked, Tatsumi pretty much stopped caring and stopped asking.

"Well, this is my class." The brunette said as the two stopped outside one of the labs. "I'll see you later."

"Not yet." Koneko said as she rummaged for something on her person. "Happy birthday."

Tatsumi grinned when Koneko produced a guitar pick. When he took it from her the first thing he noticed was the cat shaped design on the side and that it had the same coloration as her hair: white with a black accessory. He had no idea where she found something like this but it was pretty impressive. He loved the cat shaped gifts that she gave him and she seemed to be like the sweets he made her weekly just as much. He played bass so the guitar pick was something that he could use.

"I love it." he said while rubbing her head affectionately. "Thank you."

"...you're welcome." Koneko said with a nod.

"Although I guess it would be more of a trade than a gift in this case." The brunette pointed out. "I gave you sweets and you gave me a cat themed guitar pick."

"...yes?"

"Okay, well, I'll see you later Koneko-chan."

Koneko nodded and walked away silently like she always did before Tatsumi walked into the classroom.

* * *

The sun was starting to set as rays of orange sunlight escaped over the horizon in their last show before night fell. The sunset was beautiful as it always was and it was definitely something that needed to be admired from time to time. Right now... was not one of those times.

_"Dammit! Dammit! I'm going to be late again!" _Tatsumi thought as he ran as fast as he could down the street, a large bass case strapped to his back.

He couldn't believe this was happening again! That damn big lunged, blowhard, perverted club president made him late again with another one of his crappy speeches. Like always, the president started off talking about music but somehow got off track and started talking about breasts and who had the biggest breasts in Kuoh. If Tatsumi learned anything from those speeches... it was that a 3rd year named Akeno seemed to possess that title. He never went to confirm that though.

_"It's like talking to Rabac... sort of…" _Tatsumi commented mentally as he made a sharp turn to take a shortcut through the park. _"Who am I kidding? It's exactly like talking to Rabac."_

However, from the very moment Tatsumi stepped into the park he knew something was wrong. His first indication was that there was _no one _in the park, not a single person which was pretty ominous since there was always someone there. The second indication was that something felt... off and out of place. He couldn't really place his finger on it, but something was very unsettling here. The third indication was the glowing red spear coming straight for his head... wait…

Tatsumi titled his head slightly as the spear hissed by before logging itself in a tree.

"Impressive." A taunting feminine voice called. "I didn't expect you to dodge."

Tatsumi looked over towards the fountain, which was in the middle of the park, and blushed slightly at what he saw. Standing on the top level of the fountain was a woman. The woman was very beautiful... no... that wasn't the right word. Seductive was a much fitting word in this case. Regardless, the woman was definitely beautiful and seductive. She had hip length black hair, sharp violet eyes that fixed her look into an almost perpetual glare, a fair complexion, and a very large bust. Although, the feature that commanded the most attention were the two black wings sprouting out of her back.

_"Well, that isn't something you see everyday." _Tatsumi thought as his eyes moved lower. His blush from before intensifying even more at what he was seeing.

Tatsumi honestly had no idea what she was wearing but the best way that it could be described was as a collection of black leather straps with spiked shoulder pads and black thigh-high boots. It was an outfit that could have made even Leone cringe and that was something that was not easily done. Well, whatever those straps were supposed to cover up they were either doing a terrible job or a brilliant job.

The winged woman laughed. "You must like what you see if that stupid face is any indication."

_"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed." _The green eyed male commented. "Who are and why did you just throw that thing at me?" He asked with a serious look plastered on his face as he jabbed a thumb at the spear in the tree.

The woman smirked. "It doesn't matter. You'll be dead anyways." She said cruelly before creating another spear. "However, I'll tell you as a final wish." She continued. "My name is Raynare. Remember it well, as it will be the last name you'll ever know."

Raynare huh? What a strange name, not like it mattered though. Tatsumi calmly removed the bass case from his back, laid it on the ground, and opened it. He heard Raynare laugh, seemingly at what he was doing.

"A bass!?" She laughed while holding her side. "What is a bass going to d-!"

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she jumped backwards as the part of the fountain that she was standing on was cut in two. The fallen angel winced in pain before she looked down to see a rather large cut on her side. The wound was bleeding a good amount and it hurt like all kinds of hell. It was definitely one of the most painful wounds that she had suffered to date. It was going to leave a scar there, no doubt about it.

She growled and looked up to see Tatsumi standing just a few feet in front of her, a long sword in his hands. The look in his eye was disturbingly intent. They were much more focused and sharp than all the other men she had seen so far. But, what did she care? He was a human after all, she just need to hit him once with a spear. The blow from before was just a fluke.

"You're full of surprises aren't you?" Raynare said with a sneer, recovering from the momentary shock. "You got lucky twice. You won't have the third time."

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow but didn't let his guard down. "Strange, I was expecting you to saying something about the sword or about the fountain I destroyed."

"Don't flatter yourself!" Raynare countered. "You're still just an ant in the end, and ants always get crushed!" She shouted and even made a crushing motion with her hands.

The green eyed male twitched an eyebrow. Now that was an insult. He was actually quite proud of the swordsman skills that he had managed to keep sharp despite having to hide it from his parents. Although, frequent spars with the Kendo Club at school helped with that. It all started a while after Tatsumi was reborn in this world when his sword, which he had died with, returned to him for some reason. He couldn't explain why his sword, an object he didn't have the same bond with as Incursio, followed him into a new world while Incursio did not and just vanished like it never even existed. It was also a pain to make a secret compartment in the bass case in order to carry it around in public... for emergencies of course.

"Even an ant can move a mountain." Tatsumi retorted with a smirk. _"Boss would be so proud of me right now."_

Raynare scoffed and summoned two spears and threw them both at Tatsumi. He easily dodged them and bolted forward, his sword posed to strike again at her abdomen. This time he would make sure that he cut her in half... but he would settle for taking off her arms though.

Raynare smirked. _"Not this time."_

The fallen angel formed a spear and threw it right in front of Tatsumi before throwing another one right at him. The young man twisted to dodge both of them and quickly entered melee range before swiping with impressive speed, intent on not allowing Raynare to fly away. He knew that his advantage would only last if they fought on his grounds.

_"Why is he so fast!?" _Raynare barely dodged each blow thrown at her. Every dodged blow resulted in a small cut. She was actually starting to sweat and a strange feeling was swelling inside of her. Was this... fear?

_"Damn it, seems I lost a bit of my touch." _Tatsumi glowered as he kept up his assault while looking for an opening. If this were his other world, he could have killed her by now.

_"Missed!" _Raynare gloated with a smirk as she ducked under the swing aimed at her neck. However, the smirk soon vanished when a leg kicked her in the side, the same side where the cut was located. Blood spattered onto the ground like red paint. "Grah!"

This was his chance! Tatsumi swung his sword for the killing bow. The blade came closer and closer to Raynare's neck before he was suddenly knocked by a gust of wind. He quickly regained his footing and placed his focus back on his opponent. The first thing he noticed was the sheer look of absolute anger in her face. It was quite impressive.

"You pest!" The woman roared before throwing spear after spear at Tatsumi, who dodged them all with ease before charging forward. As Tatsumi drew closer and closer Raynare's anger grew. How dare this human insult her like this! She would not stand for it!

"Enough!" Raynare shouted as she formed another spear and threw it at the ground causing a large cloud of smoke to kick up. She took the opportunity to take to the skies. "I'm done playing games!"

Tatsumi glared at the flying angel. He made the mistake of letting her take flight. If he learned anything from Ran it was if something could fly... don't let it, or else it becomes a one-sided battle.

"You're still pretty arrogant for someone who's covered in cuts." The brunette commented with a smirk. She looked the type that liked to hold grudges and was quick to anger. He would know, he used to be like that as well. _"Take the bait."_

"Shut up!" Raynare shouted and formed a spear.

Tatsumi braced himself to dodge but was surprised to see the spear vanish. However, it only took him a moment to figure out why. There was a new presence in park and it commanded attention. Raynare seemed to notice that detail too judging by her expression, a look of failure.

"It seems that you have gotten a lot bolder as of late. I suggest correcting that quickly." A new voice declared.

Tatsumi looked over and was presently surprised to see someone he hadn't seen since his 1st year at Kuoh.

"Rias-senpai?"

When he turned to the side he saw a buxom woman who appeared to be in her late teens. She was extremely beautiful, well deserving of her title as one of Kuoh's great ladies. Her face was definitely not something that is easily forgotten. She had fair skin, silky crimson hair that went down to her thighs, and blue eyes that had a very commanding light as of right this moment. She was still wearing her school uniform: a white button-down shirt with a black ribbon tied around the collar, a black shoulder cape, a button-down corset, and a magenta skirt. The brown dress shoes and white crew-length socks were her own additions.

Rias glanced at him briefly before turning her attention back to Raynare. "Leave now, or perish."

"Tsk." Raynare scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "I did what I came here to do." She sneered before looking at Tatsumi. "This isn't over! I won't forget this insult, human!" With that said she flew away, leaving Tatsumi and Rias alone.

When she was finally gone Tatsumi sighed, stabbed his sword into the ground, and turned to narrow his eyes at his senpai.

"Would you care to explain just what you were doing?" Surprisingly that didn't come out of Tatsumi's mouth. It was Rias that said it.

The green eyed teen blinked. "Excuse me?"

Rias crossed her arms and developed a look that practically screamed "I'm going to scold you." Tatsumi groaned and developed a bored look on his face. He was so done with today, she didn't even know just how done he was.

"I asked you would you care to explain what you were doing?" Rias repeated this time with her _senpai _voice.

Tatsumi scratched his cheek. "Um... I guess I was fighting." He replied, sheepishly.

"Why?"

"She attacked me first." Tatsumi raised his hands defensively before suddenly glaring at Rias. "Wait, why are you even here!? We haven't spoken one word to each other and then you just suddenly show up!? What is with that?"

Rias and Tatsumi traded glares before a very distinct and familiar scent reached his nose. It was robust and metallic like copper but at the same time it was thick and... depressing. It was the stench of death and it seemed to be coming from around the fountain.

"She didn't!" Tatsumi said suddenly as he ran past Rias and around the fountain.

"No wait!"

The brunette didn't listen and rounded the fountain where the scent was strongest and quickly spotted the source of the smell. There, laying on the ground was the body of a Kuoh student. Tatsumi bit his lip as he slowly walked forward towards the corpse to examine it. The body was male, looked to about average height, possessed brown hair and brown eyes that were frozen in a death stare, seemingly fixed on what had killed him. A quick glance identified why he died, there were two large holes in his gut. Tatsumi knew this boy, he sat next to him in art. His name was Issei Hyoudou, the resident pervert.

Issei and Tatsumi didn't really know each other that well but that didn't mean Tatsumi wanted him to die, especially like this. The poor guy never had a chance. It was a reality all too real in Tatsumi's previous world. Dozens of innocent people were slaughtered like this everyday.

_"Some things never change do they?" _Tatsumi thought somberly as he knelt down to close Issei's eyes. "She did this didn't she?"

It should have been pretty obvious who he was talking.

"Yes she did."

Tatsumi got to his feet. "She'll pay for this. I'll make sure of it."

Rias arched an eyebrow. Surely he was not saying that he was going to go after the fallen angel? She had seen the fight from before and she was impressed that he was able to hold his own against the fallen angel, but any sort of advantages he may have had, quickly evaporated when the angel took to the skies. He was going to lose and die in vain at any rate.

"Tatsumi-san." Rias said softly with a frown. "Surely you aren't going to go after her?"

Ever so slowly Tatsumi started to turn around until she could see his entire face. The face that was usually even and happy was now... distorted. His face was cold but she could see the restrained angry in his eyes. He radiated a considerable amount of killing intent. It was so think that there was no way it could be the work of a mere amateur, no... it was the look of a seasoned professional.

_"What is this?" _Rias thought as her body shook like a leaf. _"How is he doing this?"_

"No!" Tatsumi stated loudly, but didn't shout. "I won't go looking for her." He said as he lifted up his sword. "But, if she is unfortunate enough to cross my path again... then I can't guarantee her safety."

"Why wou-!" Rias went to say before realizing that Tatsumi was literally right in her face. _"How did he."_

"I just realized something rather interesting senpai." The brunette said with extra emphasis on 'senpai.' "How would you know that she killed him?" He asked as he took a step forward, his sword in hand. "The only way you could possibly know is if you watched her do it... or were here completely by accident."

Rias backed way. There was definitely something not right here. This wasn't the Tatsumi she had seen interact with Koneko, he was the exact opposite. He was cold, so much colder than anyone she had come across in the past. Why was that? Why did he strike fear in her heart? Why didn't he freak out when he spotted the fallen angel? And... why was he able to fight so well and talk about killing as if it were a common occurrence for him? All of these things... made her very afraid.

"I can explain everything, but only if you give me a chance!" Rias offered as she continued to back away from the advancing Tatsumi. "Please."

Tatsumi stopped and sighed, but he continued to glare at Rias intently. He was still very suspicious of her and it would be a cold day in hell before he let an incident similar to what happened with Aria to happen again. That was when he learned just how truly evil and corrupt the Empire really was, and when he lost his two best friends in the world. But it was also the event that brought him into Night Raid. Besides, as far he could tell, Rias didn't seem to have any ill intent towards him... unlike Aria.

"Fine." Tatsumi said as he walked calmly past Rias and to his bass case. "I'll let you explain." He put his sword back in the bass case. "Although, I would like to hear your excuse for letting Issei die like that."

"You say that like you two were close." Rias commented with sigh, relieved that he was going to hear her out.

"No." Tatsumi replied calmly. "In fact, the only thing I knew about the guy was that he was a pervert and that he hung out with two other perverts." His grip suddenly tightened on the bass case. "But... he was innocent, he didn't deserve to die like that."

"I understand." Rias nodded. "I guess this is where I explain myself."

"It would make me less suspicious of you that is for sure." Tatsumi said broadly as he closed the bass case and strapped it to his back. "Let's start with why you let Issei die."

Rias frowned and folded her arms, causing her bountiful bosom to bounce. "Fine, but don't be surprised if you don't believe me."

Tatsumi deadpanned, he was no stranger to weird or strange things. In his past life he fought a giant reanimated skeletal danger beast controlled by his comrade's sister, a freak that liked to cut off people's heads, and a sadistic general that had a massive crush on him. At this point, weird was pretty much his last name and he was pretty sure that no matter what she said, he would be ready for it.

"I'm a devil."

Oh was that all?

"Huh? What? Huh?" Was the intelligent response.

Rias sighed and shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't believe me so maybe I should show you." A pair of black wings suddenly sprouted from her back. "Now do you believe me?"

Tatsumi blinked and nodded. "Yeah that pretty much proves it." Was all he could say before recomposing himself. "It doesn't really explain why you let him die though."

"I was getting to that." Rias frowned. "The reason I'm here is because of this." She said as she produced a piece of paper with a strange symbol on it.

"What is that?" Tatsumi eyed the symbol curiously.

"This is what allowed me to be right here right now." She answered. "Issei-kun had one on his person as he laid dying, and his strong desire to live is what called me here. However, what I found was you fighting with that fallen angel."

Tatsumi tapped his chin in thought before declaring. "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe me, but at least listen." Rias countered sternly, causing Tatsumi to nod. "Anyways, under normal circumstances there would have been no reason for that fallen angel to kill a simple human."

An eyebrow arched "But?"

"But... unfortunately, there was one for killing Issei-kun." She explained. "Issei has a Sacred Gear inside of his body, and a strong one at that if this fallen angel went out of her way to get rid of him. She most likely considered him a threat."

Tatsumi nodded, that made sense. What he learned during his time with Night Raid was to exterminate targets quickly and before they had time to react. It seemed to be no different in this case, at least from the angel's point of view. Now, he didn't know what this Sacred Gear thing was but he could assume that it was a lot like Teigu if someone was going so far as to kill to stop one from ever being used.

"But he can be saved!" Rias proclaimed with a broad smile until she saw Tatsumi walking away from her. "H-hey where are you going?"

Tatsumi waved her off. "I don't really know what you're getting at... but I'm exhausted. This is too much for me to process it all right now." He tiredly said before turning around and giving Rias a sharp look. "I don't care what you do afterwards, but make sure that Issei-san gets a proper burial at least."

The crimson haired teen didn't say anything and instead watched Tatsumi walk away. She had so many questions for her kuohai, but it seemed she won't be getting ant answers today. That was okay, she would have her chance later, and if her plan panned out well, then the time they would be spending together would be more than enough for all of her questions to be answered. However... for now, she still had the other task to complete.

* * *

The door opened to reveal a large living room filled with high quality furniture, expensive looking antiques, and a flat screen TV. All of the furniture was imported from different countries and everything else seemed to follow this pattern. On the way into the living-room, a quick turn to left will reveal entrance to a full sized and fully stocked kitchen complete with top of the line appliances. Even the cabinets and counter tops were top of the line. It was very nice. The living room then had two hallways which lead to a total of eight bedrooms and three bathrooms. It was the very definition of a living the high life.

This was Tatsumi's apartment, the one he shared with his parents who were apparently absent at the moment. Perhaps the note on the kitchen table might hold the answer for that.

_Dear Tatsumi-chan,_

_Sorry that we had to leave so suddenly but we were called to go to Europe to conduct business trips for the company. If we could, we would have declined and stayed for your birthday, but this was something really urgent requested by the company president himself._

_We'll celebrate your birthday properly when we get back so please don't let it get you down. I, your mother, have prepared you something special and placed it in the refrigerator. You're father put your birthday present on your bed. We hope you like it!_

_Love,  
Your loving parents Sayuri and Yamada._

_P.S. Do not read dirty magazines while we're gone._

_P. S. S. Don't have any girls over and if you do... send me a photo first._

_P. S. S. S. Call me everyday!_

Tatsumi nearly slapped his face with his hand at what he had just read. His parents had _yet again _left him out of the blue to go on a business trip overseas and had left _another_ quirky letter behind. It seemed that kaa-sama, not -san it was -sama in this household, had wrote it. Both of his parents had a very strange way of writing letters to him but only his mother would point out that she is his mother and that he wasn't supposed to have girls over... without sending a photo first, whatever that meant. Tou-san's letters were funnier and weren't as commanding.

_"This day is just brimming with surprises isn't it?" _The green eye male commented as he walked to his room.

He opened the door to his room, which by far, was the most plain-looking part of the house. It didn't have any distinguishing features other than the fact that it was completely clean and bare aside from the desk by the door, the bed place against the window, and the shelves near the bed where he kept various objects aside from books. It was incredibly plain, but if it wasn't… Tatsumi might not even know which room was his since all of the bedrooms would have looked the same except for his parents.

_"I don't get why they need to have antiques in every room. We're running out of space to store them." _He noted before spotting a large black object laying on his bed. _"Oh boy."_

On the bed was a new bass with a case. The bass itself was a Fender Deluxe P Bass Special 4-String Bass, in other words a pretty freaking expensive bass but nothing his parents couldn't afford and then laugh about later. It was a very nice bass though. The case that it came in looked the same as the one he currently had on his back.

"Well, at least I won't have to hollow it out." Tatsumi stated optimistically with a sigh of relief. The last time he had to hollow the case out to make a compartment for his sword it took him all night. The brunette yawned, moved the bass, took the other bass case off his back, and laid down on his bed. _"Rias-senpai is probably going to want answers tomorrow. I have to be prepared for that. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer her though."_

The brunette sighed and closed his eyes. He could deal with that tomorrow, today was still today and he was exhausted. Besides, maybe he would find the answer to her questions in his dreams.

* * *

_"In the end I couldn't sleep a wink."_

Tatsumi trudged towards the front gates of Kuoh Academy like a zombie. He was hunched forward and had large raccoon rings around his eyes. It seemed that Esdese returned from the dead to haunt his dreams, which was rather strange since she was probably the furthest thing from his mind. In fact, it had been at least ten years since he had a dream about her. Although, this dream was more... erotic than the first one he had and while it was frightening, it was strangely satisfying as well. Surely, this couldn't mean something to come... could it?

_"Let's not even think about it." _Tatsumi shook his head before he noticed a group of girls pointing behind him with angry faces. After yawning, Tatsumi looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened to the size of plates.

Walking towards the school entrance was the last person he expected to see: Issei Hyoudou, alive and breathing, and apparently back from the dead.

_"What the!?" _Tatsumi turned around completely to face the perverted boy as he walked towards the gates. Focusing his sight a bit more, he saw Rias standing behind a tree a bit distance away from Issei. She seemed to have noticed his gaze and looked away guiltily while Issei... he looked completely clueless about something. _"Well then... not the expression I was expecting but okay."_

The green eyed teen crossed his arms and developed suspicious look on his face as he waited for the perverted boy to reach the gates. The sight of Issei walking around, after Tatsumi clearly saw his dead body, brought back memories of Kurome, Akame's sister and wielder of March of the Dead: Yatsufua, a twisted Teigu that allowed the user to control up to eight dead bodies that the sword had slain and control them like puppets. It was by far the most disturbing Teigu Tatsumi had ever seen.

_"I don't like this." _Tatsumi said as he began to retreat into the building. _"If we're playing a game Rias-senpai, I don't like it one bit."_

The rest of the day and the next few days afterwards were spent dodging any attempts by Rias and anyone associated with her to contact him. An over the top reaction? Not quite, especially after what Tatsumi overheard Issei saying to his friends. The used-to-be-dead boy kept talking about a girl named Yuuma but no one remembered her, not a single person. He also kept talking about a 'date' as well. A date with Yuuma to be specific but once again... no one remembered her. Not a single soul. Tatsumi's first guess was that this "Yuuma" was in fact Raynare considering the park was free of any people and the time was perfect to be having a date.

In other words... it was a perfect setup for the fallen angel to murder Issei.

However, Tatsumi also noticed that Issei was sincere. The way he talked and the words he said truly did make Tatsumi believe that not even he had any idea what was going on. He was perfectly innocent and as far as Tatsumi could tell it didn't seem like he was being controlled either. Although, in case he was, Tatsumi kept his distance from Rias, Kiba, Akeno… and Issei.

Why Yuuto? The second day after Issei's mysterious return to life Yuuto pulled Issei out of the class to take him to the Occult club which belonged to Rias according to what Tatsumi heard Issei talking about one day. Why Akeno? Because she is always seen hanging around near Rias and was unnaturally close to her as well, it likely wasn't a normal relationship. It was clear as day that their ignorance in the situation was unlikely.

_"They're going to pin me down at any rate." _Tatsumi thought as he scratched the back of his head as he walked to chemistry class. His raccoon rings have only gotten larger due to these days without sleep._"That damn pretty boy is more persistent then he looks."_

He knew that eventually he wouldn't be able to weasel his way out of the situation. In fact, he knew that they were going to get him soon. He was starting to run out of steam. Ever since the whole incident with Raynare, he tripled his sparring sessions with the Kendo Club in order to get his edge back in swordsmanship. In addition, he also had his job at the cafe, attend music club meetings had to do chores around the apartment, practiced sword forms at the evening, and didn't sleep very well thanks to the erotic dreams with Esdese... that still were frightening and satisfying at the same time.

Tatsumi yawned before he felt something tugging on his sleeve. Well, this was some serious deja vu, now wasn't it? The brunette gave the best smile he could muster and looked over his shoulder to see Koneko standing there with the usual apathetic face as usual. However, there seemed to be an unusual gleam in her hazel eyes that they didn't have before.

"Tatsumi-senpai." She said with her monotone. "You look sick."

Tatsumi cringed before shaking his head. "I'm fine, just a little tired." He said with a nervous laugh.

"...liar."

"You can see right through me can't you?"

"Yes." She stated plainly.

"I thought so."

"Tatsumi-senpai... you need to sleep." She said with a slight, almost completely unnoticeable concern in her tone.

Said teen yawned. "Sleep is for the weak."

"...senpai." She muttered while looking down.

"Hmm?"

"Please... give Rias-senpai a chance." Koneko said suddenly while looking back up again at Tatsumi with her hazel eyes. "Please."

Tatsumi sighed and gave Koneko a tired look. So she was one of them huh? Well, she had him fooled. The past few days she visited him at his job like she normally does and nothing seemed to be out of order. She was acting like she normally did at school too. She had him fooled the entire time. Even during his sleep deprived induced hallucinations nothing seemed to be out of place.

"Straight to the point like always." Tatsumi laughed. "So you're one of them, Koneko-chan?" He asked her while rubbing his head. "I should have guessed it. I think I understand your club now." He continued, the smile never leaving his face. "The Occult Research Club is all of you isn't? Rias-senpai, Akeno-senpai, Yuuto-san, and Issei-san. A club of devils."

Koneko nodded slowly but didn't say anything.

"That's okay." Tatsumi said as began petting Koneko's head. "I trust Koneko-chan." He said, causing the petite girl to blink at him. "Tell Rias that if she comes to my workplace today, then I'll listen to what she has to say."

"Thank you." Koneko stated with a small nod. For a split second a small smile appeared on her face and then quickly disappeared before Tatsumi could notice it.

Tatsumi yawned. "Don't misunderstand me. The only reason I'm hearing her out is because you asked me to." He stated bluntly with a shrug. "Well, I'll see you later Koneko-chan, I'm going to class."

The white haired girl nodded and turned in the opposite direction to go her class.

* * *

The Arlington Cafe was a strange place and that wasn't just by cafe standards either. It was an "antique" cafe that, at first glance, looked like nothing more than the simple sit-in cafe but there was something more to it than just that. The Arlington Cafe actually had promotional events where the "theme" of the cafe either changed everyday for as long as the promotion ran or simply adopted a single theme during that time. It was quite strange but it was equally as effective since business boomed during those events.

The event this week was called "Animal Paradise" in which the employees would wear animal ears and tails in addition to their normal uniforms. It was less popular than the "Animal Servant" event but it worked.

Sitting at a table with the view of the window were Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima. They had just got here and for them it seemed to be a lively place. It was clean, the service was good, and all the waitresses looked really cute with their animal ears. There didn't seem to be any waiters though, just waitresses which was quite strange. Although, that was quickly overlooked by the other factors.

"So, Tatsumi-kun works here?" Akeno asked turning to Rias.

"Apparently." Was the redhead's response. This place was amazing, she couldn't believe that Koneko didn't tell her about this place before._ "This make for an interesting cafe to visit every once in a while._

"Sorry for the wait. I had to wait for my break."

Both Rias and Akeno turned their heads and saw Tatsumi standing there with his arms folded. He sure had grown a lot since the last time since they saw him. He was still average height, his hair was still messy and light brown, and his eyes were still green, so not really much had changed about him. He was just simply older than he was before. The two also noticed that he was wearing the male uniform of the cafe: a white dress shirt with a black waistcoat on top, black trousers, a black tie, and black dress shoes. In addition, he also had a pair of rounded ears on top of his hair and a bushy tail sticking out right above his rear end. The raccoon rings around his eyes completed his look.

"Oh my, how adorable." Akeno said right off the bat with a giggle. "What are you supposed to be?"

Tatsumi blushed and looked away. "I'm a tanuki."

"Ufufufu, it suits you well."

The green eyed male narrowed his eyes. It seemed that Akeno-senpai hadn't changed at all since the last time he saw her. Her figure was still to die for, no wonder the music club president kept yapping about it, it definitely did not disappoint. She still had her black hair tied in a leg length ponytail that was held in place with a orange ribbon. Her eyes were still the same shade of violet like they were before, very close to being the same shade of amethyst if they weren't that shade already. In full, she was gorgeous and Rias was nothing to sneeze at either. They were both well deserving of being _Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies._

"Anyways, what is that you wanted to tell me?" Tatsumi said, dejecting Akeno's previous comment and sitting in the seat in front of them.

Rias looked at Akeno before looking back at Tatsumi. "Alright," The red haired woman said. "I wanted to continue the explanation from before."

"I'm all ears."

"Anyways, you've already noticed that Issei-kun is back from the dead... but that is only part of the story." Rias said, knitting her fingers together. "Koneko also informed me that you are aware that everyone in the Occult Research Club is a devil."

Tatsumi nodded. "Birds of a feather flock together."

"Perceptive." Akeno commented.

Rias narrowed her eyes slightly. "And you are correct, Issei-kun is in fact a devil now." She said confirming Tatsumi's conclusion. "He's a pawn."

An eyebrow was raised. "A pawn? A pawn as in the chess piece pawn?"

"That is correct." Rias replied with a slight nod. "You see, we devils have a system called the Evil Pieces which is set up just like chess. There are 15 chess pieces in total and they are used to reincarnate other beings into devils."

Tatsumi sat back in his seat and folded his arms. "Why would devils need to do that? The way you're talking makes me think that there is a lot of... devils still walking around."

"A long time ago a war was waged between the Three Factions: Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels. This was known as the Great War and caused heavy causalities on all sides before it was over. In all means of the word it was cataclysmic to all three of the Factions." Rias explained before pausing to allow the info to sink in. "We devils developed the Evil Pieces system in order to get our numbers back up again."

Tatsumi rubbed his chin and nodded at the explanation. It made sense since there was no telling if another war could possibly break out, which would very much spell extinction for the three sides if they are low on population.

"When a being is reincarnated using one of the Evil Pieces they take on the traits of said piece. Each piece has its own strengths." Rias said.

"So you must be the king then." Tatsumi deduced before pointing at Akeno. "And she must be the queen."

Akeno giggled. "It seems I've been found out."

"How did you know?" Rias asked, not really shocked by how quickly he deduced that fact.

The green eyed teen sighed before glance briefly out the window. "The queen is the closest piece to the king and you two are always together." A single green eyed looked at the two ladies. "The queen is the strongest piece on the board and the most fitting to protect the king. It wouldn't be wise to leave the king unprotected."

"Do you play chess?" Rias asked, earning a shake of the head from Tatsumi.

"No, but... let's just say that I've played a _game _similar to what you are telling me." Tatsumi said, thinking back to the _game _the Empire played by sending Teigu users to fight Teigu users. It was deadly for both sides.

The crimson haired teen nodded. "You are correct about the queen being the strongest piece asides from the king." She said. "Although, I think we should start from the bottom rather than the top so that would be the pawn."

After a pause Rias continued. "A pawn is a front line fighter and the lowest of all the pieces. But…" She said with a smirk. "a simple pawn can become very strong. Like in normal chess, a Pawn can promote to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight."

Tatsumi was a bit shocked but he didn't let it show. He could only imagine just how scary a team would be if they could have nine queens, counting the original one, running around. The mere thought of that made Tatsumi shiver a bit.

_"Well, that is terrifying."_

"The next piece is the rook." Rias continued her explanation. "A rook has superhuman strength and possesses both high defensive and offensive capabilities. However, they normally aren't that quick."

_"Basically what Braht would be like if he wasn't so fast."_

"Then there is the knight. A knight possesses great speed and mobility which allows them to preform high-speed techniques. However, they have low defense." Rias said before adding. "If you were a reincarnated devil Tatsumi-san, then you most likely would have been a knight based on your natural speed."

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow. Well, it wasn't like he could disagree. He was pretty fast and mobile, and Incursio used to increase those features even more, among others as well.

"The bishop is the next piece. The characteristic of the bishop are their enhanced magical abilities that allows them to conjure a variety of different spells. However, more powerful spells and abilities consume a lot of magical power and it takes a long time for it to return on its own."

_"Kinda like Demon Extract only much, much, much... much weaker."_

"The queen is the final piece and is the strongest of all the Evil Pieces." Rias said, glancing at Akeno. "It possesses all the abilities of the weaker pieces and, as such, is very powerful."

"What about the king?"

"The king is the master and a top-class devil that the Evil Pieces were given to in the first place." Rias replied. "All of the pieces are the king's servants."

"So, as king you can do anything you want to your servants?" Tatsumi asked bluntly. This was something he needed to confirm before this went anywhere else.

"Technically speaking, I could." Rias stated, causing Tatsumi to shift uncomfortably. "However, I take care of my servants and to me they are like family. But there are some devils that don't have the same thought process as I though."

"I see." He replied. There were bound to be others that weren't so courteous. "So, Issei is...?"

"Well taken care of I assure you." Rias replied without hesitation and with a warm smile.

"Good to hear that." Tatsumi stated with a smile, the first one that he had shown to either one of the ladies in front of him. "Your taking good care of Koneko-chan as well, are you?"

"Of course." Rias again replied without hesitation.

"Thank you… there is also something else I want to ask you about." Tatsumi said, gaining the attention of the two ladies. "You mentioned something about a Sacred Gear but you never explained what it was."

Rias nodded before elaborating. "A Sacred Gear is an artifact that was bestowed upon a human by the God of the Bible."

"Sounds extravagant." The green eyed male pointed out. _"So they are something like the Teigu."_

"They are, but they are also extremely rare. Because of their power, devils often try to recruit humans with sacred gears into their ranks." Rias stated knowingly. She had done the same with Issei after all.

"Do I have a Sacred Gear?" Tatsumi inquired.

"Hard to say." Rias stated with a shake of her head. "I was too focused on Issei at that time to really care."

"Is that why you brought Issei back? For his Sacred Gear?" Tatsumi asked with an even look on his face.

Rias bit her lip. "That is... correct. However, in doing so I saved Issei-kun's life and as I stated before, he won't be mistreated in my care."

Tatsumi smiled and nodded. Well... that was a lot to sink in but it did answer a lot of his questions. His eyes looked up to see the looks on Rias's and Akeno's faces. They seemed to be anxious about something, well, at least Rias did, Akeno had a smiling poker face going on. He just sighed and consigned to his fate.

"Alright, what do you want to ask me?"

"Well, now that you've heard the explanation of the Peerage system, I would like to ask you to join my peerage as my second knight." Rias offered with a friendly smile. "Kiba-kun is my other knight."

The brunette shook his head. "As interesting as that sounds, I think I'm going to keep my humanity. I can't imagine coming into this world as something and then going out as something else entirely."

The red head sighed. "While I'm sad to hear that, I won't push you much on that matter. But the offer still remains if you ever change your mind." Rias stated, with a glimmer of hope. "Although, if you don't mind me asking, could you perhaps explain why are you so fast and skilled with a sword? Oh, and why do you carry a sword in a bass case?"

Should have seen that coming.

"Well, I'm fast because I train regularly. I'm skilled with a sword because I spar with the Kendo Club at school and because my mother taught me fencing and other sword techniques." He lied straight through his teeth. "I carry the sword in the bass case because it would freak people out if I carried it normally in public... not to mention it is probably illegal."

"And where did you get the sword?" Akeno inquired.

"Grandfather left it to me in his will. He was a fine collector of real swords and he left that one to me after he passed away."

Goddamn liar.

"I see." Rias said seemingly satisfied before standing up. "Well, thank you for your time Tatsumi-san. While I wish that we could talk a bit more, but we have some matters to attend to." She gave a small polite bow. "Allow me to offer another piece of information as a sign of good faith."

"And that is?" An eyebrow was raised.

"My peerage isn't the only one in Kuoh Academy." Rias said before leaving the café with Akeno.

Tatsumi's face drained of color. There was... more of them in school? Great, now he had two groups to watch out for, and he didn't even know what the other group was.

While Tatsumi didn't detect any lies during the entire time she talked, he still didn't trust her as he was certain that some information was left out. After all, it wouldn't be wise to reveal everything to someone who they barely know without the fear of it coming back to bite them.

Tatsumi sighed tiredly as he folded his arm on the table and placed his head on them. "Guess living a normal life is always a temporary thing for me, before chaos finds me and drags me right back in."

Tatsumi sighed again, oh how wished he was in his bed right now and sleeping away his troubles….. without Esdese appearing in his dreams.

* * *

**A/N**

So I'd thought I'd give this story a try after working on my other story for such a long time. I'm going to level with you guys...I'm getting sick of that story and I need something else to work on before I go back to it. There is a possibility that another story will be released before that other one is updated. I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to do that though.

Review, comments, questions, or concerns?

**Harem:  
**Harems are easy to write in DxD because...why the hell not? So, yes this story does have a harem but features some more obscure picks that are rarely used. The characters have already been picked _**BUT**_ if you make a suggestion for someone to be in the Harem, I and my Beta will consider changing our plans to include them. You have to provide a valid reason for wanting them to be in it though. This character can be from, I guess anywhere, but try to stick with AGK or DxD please. Sound fair?

**Tatsumi's Power Level:  
**As of right now and based on his skills alone, Tasumi is pretty strong. This Tatsumi is the one that he becomes much later in AGK, so around the time of the latest chapter. He is NOT going to OP or Godlike like all those Naruto stories and he is actually going to STRUGGLE against more powerful foes. No offense to those of you that may have written or like a story were Naruto is OP or Godlike, but...that is how I feel.

**Spoilers:  
**I've warned you three times. No turning back now.

**Poll:  
**There is a poll on my profile page that is related to something else that I had an idea for. I need more votes because 32 votes isn't going to cut it.

**Previews: (This the last chapter I published)**

Again, these are meant to be taken with a grain of salt, do not be offended or came at me with torches and pitchforks for screwing something up. These are _previews_ they do not always reflect the original. They also only reflect _possibilities_ not certainties. Anyways, pick your favorites and let me know what you think.

I'll warn that one of them is for Naruto. My feelings about Naruto crossovers has not changed one bit and I stand firmly by what I said. Basically the idea DOES NOT involve Sasuke or Naruto in anyway so no Godlike, uber-Demon, #yoloswagninja420, #idonttweet or GG WP Naruto or Sasuke.

**I do not anything own anything associated with these previews, the previews from before, or any preview I down later. They belong to their respective owners.**

_Preview #1_

_"Are you stupid!?"_

_"What are you doing!?"_

_Those two boys from the front gate said as they whisked me out of the courtyard where a large group of...g...g...g-g...girls had gathered. It looked like they were about to fight or something. When were a safe distance away, aka the gate, we gathered in a circle._

_"There were girls." I said_

_"Of course there were girls!" The taller boy said. "Didn't you know? Nangokuren High School use to be an all girls school until recently. As guys we're the minority with girls being the majority of over 99%"_

_I gulped. "99%"_

_"And that is not the best part." The tall be added as he started to drool. "About half of the population are...monster girls."_

_I nearly flat lined right there. Girls and monster girls!? What kind of hell has been spread upon us!?"_

Series: Dragon's Rioting x Daily Life with a Monster Girl

Note- Genius idea

_Preview #2_

_Itachi Uchiha shifted his eyes to the side. He had felt a presence tailing him and it had been tailing him for a while now. He first noticed it when he walked out of the cafe after he stopped to get some hot chocolate. Whoever or whatever it was didn't seem to be threatening, but appearances were never to be trusted without proper inspection._

_"Sorry mother, I'm going to have to call you back." Itachi said as he hung up the phone and took a short trip to a scarcely populated street and into an alley._

_Then it was set, if someone was following him then they would likely follow him into the alley._

_A few moments later a woman walked into the alley and adopted a completely bamboozled look on her face. Where did he go? She literally just saw him and then he just upped and disappeared into an alley. How was that even possible?_

_"What are you doing?"_

_Her eyes widened before she spun on her heel to see Itachi standing directly behind her. In shock, she stepped a few feet back. "How did you?"_

_"That isn't important." Itachi said as he walked towards her. Every step he took forward was matched by her taking a step back. "Who are you?"_

_"I uh..." He was getting dangerous close to her and the wall behind her as getting closer as well._

_"Who are you?" The raven haired male repeated in the same voice as before._

_"No...I don't." She felt the wall touch her back, there was no escape now. Now he was close, his face just inches from her's._

_"Last chance, who are you?"_

_The woman gulped. "Number 43."_

_"I see." He replied as he raised a hand and placed it on her cheek. She was burning hot and her face was flushed red. "Whats a little bird doing so far from the nest?"_

Series: Itachi x (easy to figure out)


	2. Chapter 2

_**This chapter deals mainly with explanations so keep that in mind.**_

_**My poll is still up so remember to vote if you haven't**_

* * *

Tatsumi scribbled down as many notes that he could think of, but, these notes weren't related to chemistry. They were actually related to what Rias said to him just a few days ago. The red haired senpai had revealed that her peerage wasn't the only one in Kuoh Academy, meaning there was at least one more. There could be several based on the vague information that she had provided. The fact that there could be more devils in Kouh and the possibility that they might not be as friendly as Rias did not sit well with Tatsumi. However, he was glad that it didn't unsettle him so much that he couldn't sleep... again.

_"Let's see here."_ Tatsumi thought as he circled all the club names he had written down. _"The lesser devils likely aren't going to be too far from their king meaning they are likely all in the same club or they group together."_

The brunette sighed as he laid down his head on the desk. _"Well that narrows it down to... almost everybody."_

The search for the other peerage began the day after Rias gave information of the group's presence in Kuoh. However, as one can see, the efforts of his search were fruitless and he was nowhere near finding out who the other group was. It didn't help that Rias refused to give him any other information for whatever reason… she is probably up to something. All he had to rely on were his observations and inferences which, like the information he got from Rias, were also limited. Although, he was able to come up with a few interesting points.

_"Okay, let's start over."_ Tatsumi sat up, picked up his pen, and collected his thoughts._ "Rias said there was a 'peerage' meaning that there is more than one devil." _He wrote that thought down._ "The king is probably the leader of the group or club he or she is in."_

_"If they have a queen then she... or he will probably be next to the king more often than not."_ Tatsumi noted from his personal experiences with Rias and Akeno. _"So that would be..."_

At that moment Tatsumi noticed the shadow looming over his desk. When he looked up he was pleasantly surprised to see Tsubaki Shinra standing there, looking down at him with a stony gaze. Tsubaki Shinra was a 3rd year at Kuoh Academy, fourth most popular girl in school, and the student council vice-president. In other words, she was kind of a big deal. However, Tatsumi knew practically nothing about her and the stuff he did know came from the perverted music club president. But that didn't stop him from having a bit of a crush on her during his 1st year.

_"Still as attractive as ever."_ Tatsumi commented in his mind while eyeing her up and down.

Tsubaki was a very lovely young woman that radiated a dignified and sophisticated aura. As cheesy as it sounded it was the best way to describe her. She had black hair that went to her knees, light brown eyes, a rather large bust, and a fair complexion. She was also wearing the school uniform and her trademark blue, semi-rimmed glasses with square lenses. Her appearance hadn't changed a bit since the last time he saw her. He could definitely see why he had a crush on her a year ago. Although, now she was just a stranger... not like anything had changed.

"Is there something I can help you with, Shinra-senpai?" Tatsumi asked politely. No reason to be rude, especially to the vice president

"You are Tatsumi-kun, correct?" Tsubaki responded, a light pink tinge on her otherwise serious face.

"Yes," He answered slowly before grimacing. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"Please follow me." She said simply, ignoring his question. "The student council president wishes to see you." She finished with a gesture to the door.

"Sure thing." Tatsumi said with a smile as he got up. _"I'm so in trouble."_

* * *

The entire walk to the student council room was nerve wracking to say the least. As Tatsumi followed behind Tsubaki, the only thoughts that he could muster were ones that involved punishment for something he did. It certainly did not help that he actually _did _do something.

A week ago at the art room Tatsumi accidentally... destroyed it, for a lack of a better word. How does one destroy an art room? Well, it all started with bumping into a statue... and... well... the details escaped him. The point was that he was in trouble and the art room would never be the same again.

_"How does paint brush go through a clay statue anyways? It doesn't make sense." _Tatsumi mentally commented as he and Tsubaki rounded a corner. _"I'm so expelled." _If Tsubaki wasn't right in front of him, Tatsumi would have slapped his face with his palm.

"Tatsumi-kun."

Tatsumi shuddered a bit in surprise. "Y-yes, Shinra-senpai?"

"Please, Tsubaki is fine." She stated without looking back at him. "What I wanted to say is there is no reason to be tense." She said with a bit more emotion than before. "I can assure you that you're not in any trouble."

"O-okay." Tatsumi closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. _"You say that but..."_

The brunette sighed in exasperation and tried to get his mind off of it by thinking about other things. The first thing that came to mind was the Occult Research club, who had been rather proactive in their attempts to get to know him, which he liked to call "annoying him." His opinion of them was better than it was before but he still didn't trust them. It was hard to put the same amount, or even close of the amount, of trust and faith he had in Night Raid into a group of devils he just met. At any rate, it was going to be quite a while before he could bring himself to be more relaxed around them. Koneko was the exception since she was his friend and he had the utmost faith and trust in her.

_"Koneko-chan is the only one I trust." _Tatsumi mentally commented before he grimaced. _"That Kiba guy's persistence is admirable, even if he is trying too hard."_

At that moment, Tatsumi and Tsubaki arrived at a pair of large and ornate double doors. Seconds later, Tsubaki pulled them open to reveal the student council room which, in Tatsumi's opinion, looked like a special court room. The council room had elevated rows of seats that were meant for the members of the student council and observers to sit. Below the elevated seats, there was a space with a tall wooden chair placed in the middle which completed the very authoritative look. Basically, it was the scariest room inside of Kuoh Academy.

Tatsumi glanced over at Tsubaki and received an encouraging nod. He stepped into the room towards the chair in the middle of the room and immediately felt gazes on him. He looked up to see that all of the members of the student council were assembled and sitting in the elevated seats. A look of confused spread across the brunette's face. How could have not noticed them before?

Tatsumi grimaced. _"Oh boy, a full house." _He stopped next to the chair.

"Sit." An authoritative voice said.

"Sitting." The green eyed teen sat down quickly.

That was when he saw her, the student council president herself, Souna Shitori, in all of her glory. She was sitting on her elevated seat just a few feet away from the chair and was looking at Tatsumi with a particular look. Tatsumi probably saw her the most out of the 3rd years that were making their way into his life. However, not breaking with the trend, Tatsumi pretty much knew nothing about her other than that she was the president of the student council and... that was it actually. It seemed that not even the pervy president knew all the details about her. Oh, wait, the president did know that she was the third most popular girl in Kuoh: above Tsubaki, but below Akeno and Rias.

It seemed that the pervy president was becoming more and more useful everyday.

_"No surprise there, anything that involves school's most beautiful girls, that guy knows it all." _Tatsumi thought as he stared into calculating violet eyes.

Souna, like all the senpais that have made their way into his life, was very attractive and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to her. Souna looked to be in her late teens just like Rias, Akeno and Tsubaki. She had short black hair in a bob cut, sharp and calculating violet eyes, a slim figure with modest sized breasts. She was wearing the school uniform with a pair of black rimmed, oval spectacles. Like Tsubaki, she radiated a mature, dignified and intelligent aura. She reminded Tatsumi a bit of Najenda, Esdese, and Akame fused into one. A truly frightening combination to say the least.

Just why so many girls in this school are so damn beautiful! What kind of magnificent genes were floating around here!

_"Rabac would be in heaven." _Tatsumi thought with a sorrowful smile. _"No pun intended."_

"Tatsumi-san." Souna said coolly. "Do you know why you are here?"

"Nope." Was the honest and shameless response.

"I see." Souna responded with a nod. "Well, allow me to formally introduce myself." She said with a push of her glasses. "While everyone in school knows by the name Souna Shitori, student council president, but my real name is Sona Sitri."

The brunette arched an eyebrow. _"Sitri?"_

At that moment a pair of wings, very similar to the ones that Rias had when she revealed herself as a devil, appeared on Sona's back. However, it wasn't just her, everybody in the elevated seats sprouted them as well. Tatsumi leaned over and looked behind the chair at Tsubaki. She too had the black wings sprouting out of her back. Tatsumi was now sitting in a room filled with devils and he had no idea if they were friends or foes.

"You're devils." Tatsumi sighed and slumped down into his chair. "So, what is it that you want?" He asked with complete indifference in his look.

"You most likely already know what I'm going to offer you." Sona stated knowingly with a cross of her arms.

The brunette nodded. "You want me to join your peerage, correct? As a knight?"

"The recommended piece for you is a knight." Sona stated again. "However, I also have a few pawns and a rook left. I will let you decide which one you would like to be if you decide to take the offer."

Tatsumi shook his head. "I'll tell you what I told Rias." He pointed at his heart and smirked. "I came into this world as a human. I can't imagine leaving it as something else."

"Understandable." Sona replied with a nod. "I will respect your wishes, but if you ever change your mind, you'll always have a place in my peerage."

"Thank you." Tatsumi said as he started to get up out of his chair. "Is that all? I can go now, right?"

"Sit." She said in an authoritative voice… again.

"Sitting." The brunette quickly sat down… again.

"Tatsumi-san, you have entered a world that most of humanity is not aware of." Sona said like she was about to give a lecture. "As a student council president it is my job to look after the students here in Kouh, so I can't allow you to proceed any further without properly informing you of the situation."

The brunette gave her a bored look, he got the same speech from Rias and he could tell that the red head was leaving stuff out. While he could tell that Sona was better... put together… than Rias, it didn't mean that he trusted her. In fact, he was probably more distrusting of her than he was of Rias. As misguided as it sounded, the reason he was wearier of Sona more than Rias was that Sona had something that Rias did not: position and power here in Kouh. They both likely had money but that was just a gut feeling. Those three things - position, power, and money - were the root of evil and could corrupt even the strongest of will if misused.

"I can tell that you don't trust me." The violet eyed girl stated bluntly. "I wouldn't trust me either if I were in your shoes." She sharpened the focus of her gaze. "However, I will tell you right now that what I say is the truth. All that I tell you will be explained to the best of my ability, I swear."

"And what incentive do I have to believe that?" Tatsumi stated defiantly, making a few of the council members gasp. "Why would you help me? You're just a stranger right? Explain to me why I should believe you."

"Because I don't want you to die." Sona replied honestly, making Tatsumi blink in surprise. "You were unfortunate enough to be dragged into this side of the world. You got involved not by your own choice and if you died because of that, Rias... and myself would feel responsible." She continued. "Trust me, all I want to do is help."

An everlasting silence seemed to fill the air as Tatsumi stared at Sona. His green orbs looked deeply into her violet ones before he sighed, seemingly in defeat.

"Alright… I'll give you this one chance and believe you." Tatsumi said sincerely. "I may not like what I'm about to hear, but I'll trust what you tell me is the truth."

"That is all I ask for." Sona replied with a nod. "I suppose I should start with the Three Factions."

"That would help."

Sona narrowed her eyes. "Let's start with Angels." She said as she knit her fingers together. "Angels are the creation of God of the Bible and are Devil's most mortal enemies."

Tatsumi nodded in understanding, he could have guessed as much. Despite how disinterested he was in the religion, even he knew that Devils and Angels were basically fierce enemies to one another. He only knew that because his mother often brought back different religious objects such as Bibles and other things to their house and would tell him the history behind them. It was in rare cases like this that what his mother had pounded into his head was actually useful. You know... it only took a room full of devils to do so though.

"Angels are identified by their white wings, the halos around their heads, and their ability to project spears of light." Sona explained. "Light is our weakness and their spears are very lethal to us devils."

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow. "Then that woman I fought at the park, she had black wings but could still make light spears. So is she...?"

"She is a Fallen Angel." Souna stated with a nod. "A Fallen Angel is an Angel that has performed a sinful act of some kind and has 'fallen from grace' as a result." She continued. "But let's return to the heaven's Angels topic."

"Sorry, please continue." Tatsumi retreated with a sheepish smile.

Sona was unimpressed. "Angels reside in Heaven and their power is measured by the number of wings they possess." She explained. "The most powerful Angels are the Archangels, and among them, Micheal and Gabriel are the strongest. They, like us devils, suffered a considerable amount of causalities during the war."

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow. "If you, devils, invented the Evil Pieces to replenish your numbers, then how are the Angels coping?"

"That, I can honestly say, is something I have no clue about." Sona stated with a shake of her head. "God of the Bible can simply create more Angels but besides that I honestly have no idea how they are doing in terms of numbers."

"Then, what about the Fallen Angels?" Tatsumi asked curiously.

"Fallen Angels are, as I stated before, Angels that have committed a sinful act and were banished from Heaven as a result. As such, they usually reside in the Underworld along with devils." Sona answered. "They are essentially identical to normal Angels with the exception of the black wings and the missing halo."

"Are those the only differences?"

"In terms of appearance, yes." Sona replied while pushing up her glasses. "They do, of course, follow a different leadership and have formed an organization called Grigori."

_"What an ugly name." _Tatsumi cringed. "So, who leads them?"

"The first Angels that fell from Heaven." Souna stated coolly. "The Grigori organization has several leaders, but one among them is the supreme leader that leads the whole faction. The Governor General, Azazel"

Sona paused to make sure that Tatsumi was processing everything that was being said to him. Her eyebrow twitched slightly when she noticed the completely uninterested, dejected and bored out of his mind look. Tatsumi looked like he was about to fall asleep at any moment. Her mouth opened to scold him for being so rude, but he blinked and suddenly looked wide awake.

"Sorry, I was listening I swear." Tatsumi said with a very apologetic face. "Religion just isn't my thing, is all."

Souna glared at him for few moments before sighing. "I will let your lack of interest slide this one time. Do not let it happen again."

"Yes, ma'am!" Tatsumi answered firmly as he sat up straight.

"I'll keep you too it." She said sharply with a glare. "Now, let's move onto the devils."

Tatsumi sharpened his gaze into a glare. _"I wonder how much Rias left out about that subject."_

"Devils reside in the Underworld and possess bat-like wings but there are some exceptions to that rule." Sona said with a quick flash of her wings. "All Devils possess superhuman strength and endurance, enhanced senses, and the ability called 'Language' which allows us to understand any spoken language to us and for us to be understood by the speaker."

Tatsumi whistled lowly. "Well, that sounds convenient."

"It is." Sona nodded. "In addition, Devils can use magic like the other two factions."

An eyebrow was arched. "But?"

"As I stated before, we Devils have a weakness to light so the spears of an Angel or Fallen Angel can be lethal." Sona stated, closing her eyes. "We also possess a weakness for holy and religious artifacts such as holy water."

_"That will come in handy later." _Tatsumi noted. "So, who is in charge of you guys?"

"The four Great Maou are the ones that lead our faction." Sona replied rather quickly. "They are named Lucifer, Leviathan, Asmodeus, and Beelzebub, after the four original Satans."

"So the original four are dead?" Tatsumi inquired.

"Yes." Sona replied without a second of hesitation. "They were killed during the Great War. Now, we have four new Maou leading us." She continued before turning her focus elsewhere. "Are you familiar with the 72 Pillars?"

"Um, not really." Tatsumi replied sheepishly while scratching the back of his head… again. "They were demons right? Demons that were mentioned in the _Lesser Key of Solomon_?"

Sona nodded. "For someone that isn't religious, you seem to have an understanding about the 72 Pillars." She said earning a shake of the head from the brunette.

"Nope, that was literally a line I read in a book once." Tatsumi admitted shamelessly and with a shrug.

"I see, but that is partially correct." Sona stated, crossing her arms. "The 72 Pillars are clans of Devils that did reside in the Underworld. Rias and myself both come from such families."

An eyebrow was arched. "Did reside?"

"Unfortunately, that number was reduced to about 34 after the Great War." Sona stated begrudgingly. "However, the number is actually higher than that, but mixed heritage makes some of the survivors of the war unable to be considered part of the 72 Pillars."

The brunette blinked in surprise.

"Only clans that have kept their heritage pure are still considered to be a part of the original 72 clans." Sona said distastefully.

Tatsumi was shocked. What the hell was that? If that war was enough to wipe out so many clans why does mixing heritage matter? The only thing they should have been concerned about was making sure they didn't get wiped out. He could practically smell the prejudice surrounding the whole situation. Wait... now that Tatsumi thought about it, this seemed very familiar. In fact, it almost felt that one time with…

Aria

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes sharply. That bitch was crazy and so prejudice that she tortured and killed Sayo simply because her hair was more beautiful. It was the dumbest load of crap that Tatsumi had ever heard in his life. His hands balled into fists on his lap and he gritted his teeth in anger. That was the one thing that he can't forget and will never forgive. If, by some freak chance, he _ever _saw her again, he would make sure to kill her again.

_"It's just like then."_

"Tatsumi-san." Said teen looked up to see Sona arching an eyebrow at him. "Are you alright? It seemed that my last statement struck a nerve somewhere."

The brunette laughed nervously. "I-it's nothing, please continue."

"Anyways, the 72 Pillars are special not only because of their standing, but also because of their clan related abilities." Sona pointed out. "For example, the Beal clan has the Power of Destruction which releases explosive amounts of demonic energy to annihilate objects or enemies."

_"So basically an overpowered Pumpkin blast."_

"Do you understand?" Sona asked sharply.

"Yes, Kaichou."

Sona narrowed her eyes, but nonetheless continued. "Well, let's move onto another topic." She said, trying to hold back a sigh. "I'm sure that Rias failed to mention anything about the Stray Devils."

"Stray Devils?" Tatsumi tilted his head in confusion.

"Of course she didn't." The violet eyed president huffed. "A Stray Devil is a Devil that has either ran away or killed his or her master. Without their master to keep their powers in check, their powers will eventually grow beyond their control and they become a threat."

"And if they become a threat?" Tatsumi asked slowly. He had a pretty good idea of what the answer was going to be.

"They are to be killed on spot."

Exactly as he expected.

"So, if Koneko-chan ran away from Rias, they'd kill her?" Tatsumi asked in a low tone.

"Yes."

Everyone in the council room, Sona included, shivered a bit when they felt a sudden killing intent coming off Tatsumi. _"It is as intimidating as Rias had described it, it definitely isn't the work of any amateur, this is the work of a professional." _Sona thought. A few of the weaker members of the student council started to sweat while even the more experienced members shook like a leaf.

"So that is Rias-senpai's angle, huh?" Tatsumi said, suddenly speaking up. The look in his eyes was now darker, much darker than anything anyone in the room had ever seen. "It's like a ball and a chain. They can't leave because if they do, they'll get labeled as Stray Devils."

However, just as soon as the killing intent appeared, it disappeared, allowing everyone in the room to breathe easy again.

"In the end, I guess as long as she doesn't mistreat Koneko-chan… or Isse-sani, then I don't have a problem with it." Tatsumi said with a frown. He still wasn't pleased with that little bit of information. "Besides, if Rias-senpai would have asked Issei-san to join her peerage normally, before he got killed, he probably would have accepted anyways. That guy is very predictable, so just seeing her breasts alone would have made him say yes."

The green eyed male noticed that several members of the council went to cover their chests at that comment, as if on cue. Tatsumi cringed, it turns out that Issei had a bigger reputation than he originally thought if just the mere mention of his name could cause the masking of mammary. Well, it made sense, Issei and his two friends were notorious perverts around here. However, notorious and smart aren't synonymous, and that was clear when they tried to peep on the _Kendo _club. The Kendo club of all things, they literally picked the club that could beat their asses the hardest and with wooden swords.

"Anyways, sorry for interrupting you again." Tatsumi said with a small smile. "Please, continue with explanation, Kaichou."

_"What was that just now?" _Sona thought before regaining her composure. "R-right, well, let's move onto another topic, this one is quite important."

"While Angels and Fallen Angels are quite dangerous enemies, so are the people known as exorcist." Sona said scornfully. "They are trained by the Church and are equipped with light based weaponry to destroy us."

_"I could have guessed that." _Tatsumi deadpanned. "Is that all?"

Sona shook her head. "No, what makes the exorcists so dangerous is that if one of them manages to exorcise a devil, the devil's whole existence is erased. Not even the soul is left." She paused to catch her breath. "That is why we devils are very careful around them. However, when it comes down to it, the light spears of the Angels and Fallen Angels are much stronger and effective."

"Good to know." Tatsumi stated with a shrug. "But I get the feeling there is more to it than just that." He finished with a sharp glare.

"And you would be correct." Sona answered, seemingly unaffected by the glare aimed at her. "As with Devils, there are stray exorcists as well. They are exorcists that either broke a doctrine of the Church… or simply went insane and became indiscriminate killers who don't care who... or what they kill."

Wild Hunt.

Tatsumi shifted uncomfortably as he tried to bite back the anger that was boiling inside of him again. Indiscriminate killers that fit Wild Hunt perfectly, those bastards did whatever they pleased, with rape and murder being some of the things they did on more regular basis. The worst part was that they got away with all of it because they hid behind the Prime Minister's name, but, what really made them scum among scum is that they did those unforgiving crimes... because they were bored.

Well, they certainly weren't bored when the last gasps of breath were ripped from their throats.

_"Good riddance."_

"Do you understand that, Tatsumi-san?" Sona asked.

"Yes, I do." Tatsumi replied quickly, not even noticing the smirk on his face. "Is there anything else that I need to know?"

Sona tapped her chin in thought. "Hmm… well there are still the topics of Sacred Gears and magicians."

_"Magicians?" _Tatsumi noted, now that caught his attention. "Rias told me a bit about Sacred Gears."

"Is that right?" Sona questioned with an arched eyebrow. "She only told you basic information, didn't she?"

"Most likely."

Sona slapped her face with her palm. "I should have known." She messaged her temples seemingly in annoyance. "She's as irresponsible as ever."

The brunette laughed. "The way you talk about her makes me think that you two are best friends."

"A friend." Sona corrected Tatsumi.

"Still counts." The teen replied with a shrug and an amused smile.

"Right." Sona coughed into her hand. "A person that possesses a Sacred Gear is usually not even aware that he or she even has one. It lies dormant inside of them until it is awakened."

"And what awakens them?" Tatsumi asked as tried to memorize Sona's every word.

"That depends on the situation and conditions really. Some people awaken it during times of great distress, while others can _learn_ how to do it." Sona replied. "There are many different varieties of Sacred Gears and each one has their own strengths so that might have a role in how and when it activates."

_"Well, that is inconvenient."_

"Among the various types of Sacred Gears, the Longinus type are the rarest ones." Sona stated, narrowing her eyes slightly. "There are thirteen of them in total, and they each possess enough power to kill a God."

Tatsumi's eyes widened. "_A_ God!? There is more than one!?"

"Correct." The raven haired teen answered. "There are many different gods that fit into different religions. The God of the Bible is merely one of these beings."

Tatsumi sighed. Well, he could already tell that it was going to become headache, and a big one at that. Well, at least it didn't seem like he was going to have to deal with Gods anytime soon, unless Aries suddenly appears in his shower and decides to kick his ass for no reason.

He really hoped that these Gods wouldn't appear in his shower… or want to beat him up for no reason. That sounded very troublesome.

"Finally, Magicians." Sona started. "Magicians are humans that have learned the spells of at least one of the various factions of supernatural beings. This gives them a wide range of abilities, limited only by their own knowledge and skill level. The whole magic system that they currently use was developed by Merlin Ambrosius, a man who once studied demonic power and devils magic. Besides that, nothing much else is currently known about them."

"Really?" Tatsumi asked, hoping to get more information on that topic.

"Well... there is a rumor that there was a Magician that predated to be Merlin, which I can't confirm or deny." The black haired girl tensed slightly. "The same rumor also says that this same Magician may still be alive."

Tatsumi tensed slightly. "And who is this guy?"

"I do not know since it just a rumor which, as I stated before, I cannot confirm or deny."

Guessing that the student council president didn't have anything else to add, Tatsumi sighed and got out of his chair. "Well, thanks for the explanation, Kaichou. I really appreciate it" He stretched out his arms. "I'll see you around, I guess." He said before starting to walk away.

"One last thing." Tatsumi quickly stopped and turned around. "You should know that Dragons exist as well, but I personally don't know much about them. Also, if you ever have any other questions regarding anything, don't hesitate to ask. That is all."

"Well, if I may, I already have one question I'd like to ask, Kaichou." The brunette replied with a raised hand, slightly surprising Sona. "What are yours and Rias-senpai's clan abilities?"

"Rias is actually part of both the Beal and Gremory clans. She inherited the Power of Destruction from her mother who originally came from Bael, and superior magic control from her farther who is Gremory." Sona explained. "The Sitri, my clan, specializes in water magic."

"I see… well, that is all I wanted to ask. Thank you again for being so informative, Kaichou." Tatsumi bowed in gratitude and quickly left the student council room, leaving all its members alone.

Sona sighed as she leaned back in her chair. She was definitely going to need something to calm her nerves after today's work is finished. During the whole explanation, she felt that something was off about Tatsumi. She couldn't quite place a finger on it, but there was definitely something strange about him. She purposely didn't ask about his battle with the Fallen Angel because she knew that he would lie, but now she felt like perhaps she should have asked, if only to curb her own curiosity.

_"He is definitely an interesting individual." _Sona thought as she studied the looks of the other student council members.

It seemed that Reya and Momo shared her thoughts if the puzzled looks on their faces seemed to be any indication. Tomoe seemed to be off in her own little fantasy land as she had a blush on her face and was giggling silently to herself. Tsubaki, remained pretty even in her look, but there was a slight pink tinge to her cheeks... whatever that was about. Then there was Ruruko, Tsubasa, and Saji. Ruruko had an even expression on her face as did Tsubasa. Saji, however, looked very determined for some reason.

_"I can only see more problems coming off this later." _Sona sighed deeply. She really wished she had a cup of tea right about now.

* * *

A few days had passed since Tatsumi was called to the student council room but not much had changed. Sure, he could tell that the members of the student council, except for Sona, were spying on him and following him around like they were some James Bond wannabes. He wasn't quite sure what their goal was so he just acted like he always did and tried not to attract attention to himself. However, it seemed that the ever skeptical student council president saw right through his act and still had her hounds on him like a piece of raw meat.

Currently, Tatsumi was behind the counter of Arlington Cafe, getting all the different drinks ready for the customers. It was almost lunchtime after all, so this place was a hot spot for customers looking for a quick and quality lunch. However, due to the whole "Animal Paradise" event still going on, the number of customers was going to be considerably higher than usual. For some reason, animal ears and tails has a magnetic effect on people.

_"I can't believe the manager made me draw rings around my eyes." _Tatsumi's eyebrows twitched.

The brunette had large black rings drawn around his eyes in addition to the tanuki ears and tail. Apparently, the manger was so impressed that Tatsumi had completed his look with dark rings around his eyes, that he outright demanded the green eyed teen to wear them everyday for the remainder of the event. The problem with that was the "rings" from before were caused by sleep deprivation. What made matters worse is that the cafe didn't have any skin-safe paint so the waitresses used their eye shadow to paint them on. As much as Tatsumi loved looking like a confused tanuki, the look really didn't suit him well.

Well, at least this was much more preferable than not being able to sleep. Tatsumi just fixed his sleeping schedule and he would rather pick wearing makeup for some time than having to go a whole week without sleep.

_"Esdese has finally stopped visiting my dreams." _He thought optimistically before he grimaced slightly. _"But, the silver haired girl that took her place isn't much better. Why am I having such erotic dreams in the first place? Heh, I blame the Bachou, so annoying."_

Who was that girl anyways? Tatsumi sure as hell didn't know, oh, and the fact that the entire Occult Research club just walked in through the café's main entrance meant that he wasn't going to be able to think about it either.

The group made their way over the counter that Tatsumi was working behind and sat down on the counter chairs, much to the latter's annoyance. Didn't they know that the lunch rush was coming?

"What are you guys doing here?" Tatsumi inquired, without a second's hesitation.

"Just checking in." Rias stated with a small smile and a shrug. "So, I heard that you were contacted by Sona."

Tatsumi nodded and went back to mixing the coffee. "I was."

"And?" Rias asked anxiously.

"I turned her down." The brunette replied flatly. "I don't plan on giving up my humanity any time soon, if ever."

Tatsumi glanced at Rias and saw her bite her lip, it was clear as day that she didn't like the second half of his answer. His green eyes then shifted to the side to see Akeno giggling about something, which Tatsumi guessed was about Rias getting rejected before she could even bring up her offer to join her peerage again. It was one those things that made Akeno a very off putting person. The other reasons being with the way she talked and acted that made Tatsumi feel like she was trying to hide something. He couldn't deduce what it was but it was certainly there.

Suddenly, Issei stood up and pointed at Tatsumi. "You're Tatsumi-san, right? You sit next to me in art class, right?"

Tatsumi gave the boy a dry look. "Yeah, that would be me."

"Strange." Issei said, scratching his chin curiously. "You look different for some reason. Did you do something different with your hair?"

Rias, Akeno, and even Kiba snickered while Tatsumi just gave them a flat look. Surely, Issei wasn't that stupid? Did he really not see the dark rings of eye shadow painted around his eyes? That was probably the worst and most cliche joke Tatsumi had heard all year, and that was saying something since his father was an avid connoisseur of bad jokes... and quotable quotes.

"Issei." Tatsumi sighed as he placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. "I don't dislike you." He stated with a frown. "So don't make me not like you."

"O-okay." Issei answered nervously and quickly sat down.

The green eyed teen nodded. Honestly, Tatsumi was more lenient towards Issei than he was towards the other members of this club. This was because Tatsumi was convinced that Issei was perfectly innocent and ignorant in all of this. Even if Issei did annoy him a bit, Tatsumi was still convinced that Issei wasn't the one doing the wrong here. However, peeping on the Kendo club, that was wrong on all sorts of levels. On the brighter side, at least he wasn't as annoying as Kiba.

"Excuse me, Tatsumi-kun," Said teen looked over to see Kiba giving him a smile. "is that makeup you are wearing?"

See that? Damn guy couldn't mind his own business.

"Yes." Tatsumi admitted shamelessly while trying not to glare at the blonde boy. "Don't you wear makeup too? It's the latest craze these days after all."

Kiba laughed. "I can't say that I do."

The green eyed teen narrowed eyes at Kiba. Now that he thought about, this was just one of the few times that he had actually seen Kiba in person. The description that the girls from the Kendo club gave him was surprisingly accurate. Actually... most of the information they provided him was pretty on spot, especially when it came to people that they admired. They got everything from his slightly above average height, to his handsome looks, to his grey eyes, to the mole under his left eye. That was some attention to detail right there. They knew what they were talking about it seems.

_"I've never seen such a fake smile before."_ Tatsumi made note of the fake smile on Kiba's face. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Tatsumi could see the hate behind the blonde boy's eyes.

Tatsumi was quite familiar with hate filled eyes and people who hide behind emotional masks. Chelsea was literally a master of hiding behind faces, and Tatsumi himself had done so on a few different occasions. But, now that he thought about, that just seemed to come with the job. Being an assassin employed by a revolutionary army to help take down a corrupt empire wasn't the most honest profession. In fact, there probably wasn't a way to make that profession sound honest either.

"You know Rias-senpai," Tatsumi said, closing his eyes and inhaling sharply. "Kaichou told me a lot of stuff that you failed to mention."

Rias laughed nervously. "Y-yeah."

"I know that you had your reasons." Tatsumi stated as even as he could. "So, I'm going to tell you this right now." He narrowed his eyes and raised his right index finger. "You're going to have to be straight with me down the line."

Everyone was shocked at that statement. This was probably the most cooperative that Tasumi had been since the moment the Occult Research club had met him. So far, the only person that the brunette was willing to cooperate with was Koneko. In fact, the only reason that the group was even able to make it this far with him was because of Koneko. However, it seemed that the white haired girl was perfectly content with the situation as it was. She was just sitting, silently drinking a cup of tea a waitress had brought her before.

"So does that mean...?" Rias asked anxiously.

Tatsumi smiled. "Not on your life, Senpai."

Rias pouted and puffed out her cheeks. "You're no fun."

The brunette shrugged and turned to Akeno. "Akeno-senpai?"

"Yes?" The raven haired woman tilted her head while smiling.

Tatsumi pointed to the eye shadow. "Tell me how to get this off."

"Of course." She replied with a giggle.

* * *

The late afternoon sun shined down on as cool breeze cruised through the air. The lunch rush had just ended and everyone was now back where they belonged... well... most of them. The end of the lunch rush also meant that the largest shift at the Arlington Cafe was finished for the day so Tatsumi was free to pursue his interests for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, he had nothing in particular to do so he just ended up walking around the city in his school uniform and with his new bass strapped to his back.

Tatsumi was currently walking around in one of the parks that the city had to offer. He couldn't remember which one it was, but he knew that it wasn't the one where he fought Raynare and the one where Issei had been murdered by the said fallen angel. Although, that park where it all happened wasn't too far from this one.

_"Damn, I need to get some hobbies or friends… or something." _Tatsumi thought bitterly as skulked forward. _"This must be what Issei feels like when his two perverted friends aren't around." _He paused and stroked his chin in thought. _"No, actually, this is probably what they feel like when he isn't around. He's the one that probably has stories to share."_

That was when the sound of someone crying caught his attention. He stopped and looked over his shoulder to see a child sitting on the ground and holding his knee in pain, probably felt down or something, and what appeared to be a nun consoling him. A nun was a pretty strange sight around here, especially so far away from the church. But, besides that, there was nothing strange with this scene so far as Tatsumi could tell.

_"Well, I guess I'll go get an ice cream cone." _Tatsumi was about to resume his walk but quickly stopped when he noticed an eerie green light. His eyes widened and he turned back at the nun to see she was the one radiating that light. _"What is that? Wait, is that… a Sacred Gear?"_

In a matter of seconds the child had stopped crying and was back on his feet. Tatsumi watched tongue-in-cheek as the boy thanked the nun and then scampered off, probably back to his mother.

What was the recap of what he just saw? Well, that child was crying and the nun was there, but the nun did something so the boy was okay. Basically, he didn't see anything at all.

_"I have a feeling that I shouldn't do this... but I don't really care." _Tatsumi thought as he walked towards the nun. "That was quite the trick."

The nun flinched a bit and turned around to face Tatsumi and brunette arched an eyebrow when he got a good look at her. The nun herself looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, so about the same age he was. She had long, shiny blonde hair that licked just below her rear end, green eyes with the same shade as his and a petite, but still well-developed figure. He could honestly say that she was very beautiful and quite... meek looking as well. Her attire consisted of a dark teal nun outfit with white accents, a white veil, a satchel on her right hip, and brown boots. There probably wasn't any other possible way to stick out even more than she already was. The blonde hair alone did the trick.

"O-oh, h-hello!" The nun said with an awkward bow. "I-i-it's very nice to meet you!"

_"Okay... that isn't weird at all." _Tatsumi arched an eyebrow but still returned the gesture by bowing slightly as well. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, Sister."

"It's okay." The girl gave a small smile before her eyes widen and she looked like she remembered something very important. "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Asia Argento."

"Oh, nice to meet you as well, Asia-san." Tatsumi said with a friendly smile. "My name is Tatsumi... just Tatsumi." He finished awkwardly and with a grimace.

"Nice to meet you Tatsumi-san." Asia tilted her head to the side curiously. "Is something the matter?"

"No, everything is fine." Tatsumi said with the shake of his head. "Well, actually, I am wondering about the thing you did back there with the green light." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "That was a pretty impressive trick."

Asia smiled kindly. "It is a gift bestowed to me by God."

Tatsumi didn't buy it one bit. The way her smile suddenly turned somber and depressed further supported his doubts. There was definitely more to it than that. However, it wasn't his place to pry for information that didn't concern him. Besides, it would be rude of him to ask her something like that right off the bat, and that was reinforced even more by the fact that he just met her. But still... Tatsumi was almost certain that what he just saw was a Sacred Gear in action.

"No gift would make you look so sad." Tatsumi commented sincerely. "A real gift will put a smile on your face, don't you think?" He finished with a friendly smile.

Asia blinked in surprise before smiling kindly again. "You really are a good person, aren't you Tatsumi-san?"

"Depends on who you ask." The brunette responded with a shrug.

The blonde girl began to giggle a bit at the boy's reply, but it was quickly interrupted when a sudden, loud rubble resonated from somewhere. Tatsumi looked around for any construction equipment but didn't find any. A few seconds later there was another rubble, but this one was much louder than the last one. Tatsumi arched an eyebrow as the blonde girl in front of him blushed and looked away bashfully.

"S-sorry, I guess I'm still a little hungry." She said with a nervous laugh.

_"A little?" _Tatsumi cringed, but quickly erased it from his face. "I see, well, I happen to know a place where you can get something to eat." He offered.

"Oh I don't want to impose on you..." The blond nun responded apologetically.

Tatsumi smiled and took her hand gently. "Don't worry about it." He told her. "You simply reminded me a lot of someone I used to know.

Asia seemed to be a bit taken back by his comment but nodded slowly in return. Tatsumi let go of her hand and told her to follow him with a fake smile. As soon as she couldn't see his face, Tatsumi wiped the smile of his face and adopted a frown as he started to walk towards the Arlington Cafe. The entire time that he was talking to her he could tell that she was genuinely very kind and gentle. There were no masks, no fronts, no lies about that. It was sad to think, that if a girl like her existed back in his original world, it wouldn't have been too long before some sadistic freak did something to her.

Those disgusting pigs would have raped her, broken her, used her as a play toy, and then would have thrown her away like a piece of trash.

Her kindness reminded Tatsumi of a certain someone.

A person he had lost.

_"Schere."_

* * *

Asia looked curiously at the food that had just been brought to her by the waitresses. She had no idea what it was since she let Tatsumi order it for her. It seemed to be a combination of meat, green vegetables, and sesame bread. She glanced up at Tatsumi to see him arching an eyebrow at her in confusion. He then smiled and gave her a nod of encouragement.

Giving a nod back, Asia lifted the combination of different ingredients with a fork, bit down, chewed, and then swallowed.

"Tatsumi-san, this is amazing!" Asia proclaimed with stars in her eyes.

Said teen laughed heartily. "I knew that you'd like it." He stated with a smile. "It's called an Arlington Special. It is a lot like a hamburger but much healthier and comes equipped with a special sauce that you can't get anywhere else."

Tatsumi couldn't help but deadpan as he watched Asia pretty much ignore what he just said and inhale her Arlingon Special with impressive speed. Geez, not even Akame could have dusted that food off so fast. Wait... never mind that, compared to the amount of food that Akame normally ate, this barely qualified as an appetizer. Where did she put all of that anyway? It was like she had three stomachs or something.

_"This scene sure brings back memories." _Tatsumi noted, the nostalgia coming back to him. _"Ah, those were the days. I just wish they would have lasted just a little bit longer."_

"Thank you for the meal, Tatsumi-san." Asia said, knocking said teen out of his nostalgia.

Tatsumi waved her off. "Think nothing of it." He said. "Oh, and I wanted to ask you something. If that is alright with you."

"But of course." Asia smiled brightly.

The brunette nodded. "Are you from Europe or something?" He asked her. "I've never seen you around town and you seemed to be pretty clueless on how to eat the Arlington Special."

The girl nodded in understanding. "You are right, I'm am from overseas. I'm here because I got transferred to this town's church."

_"Why this specific town? That is sketchy." _Tatsumi narrowed his in suspicion. "Okay, that makes sense. But, why were you transferred here?"

There, it was that look again. The same look she had when she said that whatever she did to that child was a gift from God. It really didn't suit her, Tatsumi preferred the sweet smile she usually has. It was much lovelier than the melancholic look that she had right now.

"I'm sorry, it isn't my place to ask you something like that if you're uncomfortable with it." Tatsumi stated earnestly before glancing at the wall clock. "Forgive me, Asia-san, but I have to go now. It's getting late and I just remembered that I have errands to run." He took a napkin and wrote something on it. "Here is my number, if you ever need help with something, don't hesitate to call me."

Asia nodded. "Um, while appreciate the kind gesture, I don't have phone with me so I'm not sure if it is ok for you to give me your number."

"Oh it's no problem. You should take it anyways, so in case you do get a phone by some chance, you would be able to contact me." Tatsumi smiled as he handed over the napkin with his number to the nun.

"T-t-thank you very much. It is very kind of you to do this to somebody you just met. Thank you for the meal as well, may God bless your kind soul." Asia replied gently as clapped her hand together in gratitude.

"Do you perhaps need help finding your way to the church? I could take you there." Tatsumi offered.

"It's ok, I already got directions on how to reach the church from a kind boy so I won't get lost. But thank you for the offer nonetheless."

While Tatsumi would have really preferred to personally take her there, he didn't want to be too pushy, so he relented and nodded in understanding. "Ok then. But you best go there now before it gets too dark. And be careful along the road, alright?"

"I will." Asia replied as she continued to smile kindly at him.

Tatsumi nodded as he got up out of his chair, and walked out the door. While walking towards his home, something kept repeatedly popping into his mind and he honestly could not make heads or tails of it. He had noticed that Asia was wearing a silver cross around her neck and for some reason that bugged him. There was nothing wrong with the cross in particular but something just seemed... off about it. It was almost like he was forgetting something, something very important.

_"This is going to require some investigation."_

* * *

The dark blanket of darkness covered the city as late evening took over. As such, much of the town had calmed down and things were starting to slow down. Although, as with nearly any town or city, there were some things that just picked up as night fell. Tatsumi knew this all too well. His occasional curfew runs just seemed to prove this. Despite how peaceful things were during the day, some really funny stuff happened at night. If they were jokes than this funny stuff would only cause cringes, if that was any indication.

Currently, Tatsumi walked down the street on his way home after finishing some errands and after going to the library. He went to the library to research the silver cross since it still kept bugging him so much, but his search proved to be fruitless. Amazingly, someone _just did _come in and checked out all of the books that would have helped Tatsumi with his problem. On the bright side, he carried his bass case around all day and he still wasn't tired.

_"Well, that was a pointless stop." _Tatsumi said, pinching the bridge of his nose. _"The librarians wouldn't stop flirting with me, they didn't have the book I wanted, and some punk tried to steal my bass." _He thought bitterly. _"How can this get any worse?"_

At that moment, the sound of gunshots ran through the air and, at the same time a young female's scream was also heard.. There it was, there was the bad thing that he had practically asked for. Tatsumi grit his teeth and took off sprinting towards the source of the gunshots, which sounded dangerously close to his location. He ran as fast as he could in hopes of preventing whatever travesty that was sure to happen.

_"Damn it, please don't let me be too late!"_

* * *

Issei Hyoudou was in pain, and a lot of it. He had a hole in his leg and a large cut on his back. They both burned, almost as much as when that Fallen Angel stabbed him with that spear of hers, but not quite. Now, one might wonder why did he have a hole in his leg and a cut on his back. The answer is simple. When he arrived at the house where he was supposed to fulfill his contract, he found out that the client was dead and that some white haired weirdo that called himself an exorcist was the one behind the killing. In a nutshell, this situation was completely shitty in every meaning of the word. Oh, and the fact that this exorcist asshole was such a... well... an asshole certainly did not help things.

"Oh dear, on dear, having second thoughts?" The exorcist taunted before posing himself to strike. "That way of thinking is what I hate the most."

Issei closed his eyes and prepared for the worst to come. But... it didn't happen, instead there was the sword of metal scrapping against metal. The brunette opened his eyes and was surprised to see Tatsumi, with a sword, blocking the exorcist's attack. Tatsumi's eyes were extremely focused like he was intent on doing something and he appeared to be easily holding off the exorcist.

"Damn, Issei." Tatsumi said as he balance out the exorcist's force. "You seriously got some crappy luck. First was dying, and now almost getting killed again, all in two weeks time!"

"Tatsumi-san!" Issei cried, happy to see his classmate.

"Oh, what is this?" The exorcist asked with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Does this shitty devil have some shitty friends?" He said with a disgustingly pleased smile. "Fine by me! The less shitty devils there are in this world, the better!"

"Back off." Tatsumi said deeply as he easily pushed back the exorcist.

Now that the exorcist's ugly mug wasn't in his face, Tatsumi could see him clearly. He was short, being at least an inch or two shorter than Tatsumi himself. He looked young, maybe in his mid to late twenties, he had chin length white hair, and red eyes. He was dressed in clerical clothes, unsurprisingly, and he had a silver cross hanging across his neck. That was when it hit Tatsumi. A silver cross was typically worn by an exorcist. His mother had told him that bit a while ago, it seemed that he just forgot it. That aside, this guy reminded Tatsumi a lot of Zank, a little bit too much to be real. The unrestrained amount of killing intent he was giving off reinforced that.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Tatsumi asked the obviously crazed man while making note of the sword and gun in the man's hands.

"Freed Sellzen, shitty devil killer and boy-priest at your service." The man, now identified as Freed, said in a disturbingly crazed manner. "You've got some nerve for getting in my way, you shitty devil."

"I'm not a devil." Tatsumi pointed out, earning a nod from Issei.

Freed spread out arms out wide. "It doesn't matter!" He almost cheered, his tongue still hanging out of his mouth. "Shitty devils! Shitty devil lovers! They're all the same! They deserve to burn in hell!"

"Such a foul mouth. Are you sure you're a priest?" Tatsumi taunted, remembering how easy Zank was to rile up. "Are you sure you are not just some shitty devil slayer?"

Enraged, Freed lunged forward with his sword but Tatsumi easily parried it and took a slash of his own. Freed ducked under it and smirked before a leg smashed into his gut. The stray exorcist wheezed in pain and just barely put up a guard to block the brunette's next blow. Despite how painful that last blow was, Freed couldn't help but smirk. Now this was a battle! It just made this shitty devil lover all much more satisfying to kill.

"Not bad for a shitty devil lover!" Freed shouted as he raised his gun. "You can burn in hell for your sins with all of those shitty devils!"

Tatsumi sidestepped the blow and slashed his sword faster this time. A howl of pain echoed through the house as a trail of blood splattered against the wall. Freed jumped back and looked down to see a decent size cut in his abdomen. It hurt like hell and it was bleeding considerably. Freed's smirk grew wider and he laughed as he recklessly charged forward. This was fun!

_"Yeah, he's just like Zank." _Tatsumi noted as glared at the white haired male.

The brunette blocked the swipe at his legs and sidestepped the shot at his head before putting down his shoulder and ramming it into Freed's chest. The white haired exorcist stumbled back a bit but was still able to duck under swipe thrown his way. Freed smiled widely as he unleashed a series of slashes at Tatsumi, all of them easily blocked and countered. This was the most fun that Freed has had in years! This was really getting his blood going!

"The ones that struggle are always the most fun to kill!" Freed shouted as he began to shoot at Tatsumi.

The green eyed teen maneuvered around the hazardous bullets while making sure that they didn't hit Issei as well, who was only a few feet behind him.

Tatsumi swung his sword at Freed who just blocked it and aimed his gun... this time at Issei. Tatsumi glared at the exorcist and twisted his sword free before delivering a quick slash to Freed's leg. The exorcist jumped back and smirked at the two.

_"Dammit!" _Tatsumi bit his lip. _"If didn't have to worry about Issei then I would have killed this guy already." _He noted bitterly. _"And I can't go all out because he's just going to go after Issei anyways."_

It was a true disadvantage indeed. He couldn't let Issei die especially after all the things that he has been through. But at the same time he couldn't exactly let up on Freed either.

_"No choice then."_

With astounding speed Tatsumi charged forward and unleashed a fury of swipes. The smirk vanished from Freed's face and panic started to set in as he desperately tried to defend himself. Every time he tried to block one attack, two cuts appeared, and the attacks that he didn't block and tried to dodge instead would still cut him anyways. His clothes and skin were getting shredded by the vicious assault. The look in Tatsumi's eyes was cold and unfeeling as his sword splattered Freed's bloods over the walls, ceiling, and floor. This wasn't fun for him anymore. This was getting scary.

"Grah!" Freed grunted as Tatsumi kicked him away. The unexpected assault had pushed the two over by the Issei's client's dead body and far away from Issei himself. This was something that Tatsumi could work with.

Tatsumi, now freed from the burden of looking after Issei so much, could now seriously let loose. He delivered a multitude of strikes, all biting into the exorcist's flesh and painting the walls red with his blood. Freed wheezed with each blow, this was really getting out of hand it didn't seem like it was going to get better.

For the first time in a long time, Freed was honestly afraid and the pain creeping through his body added to his fear. He could barely dodge these blows and there wasn't enough time to take shot at the shitty devil either. It was a losing battle.

"Got to hell!" Freed screamed as he jumped back and aimed his gun at Tatsumi. He smirked as he pulled the trigger in a last ditch effort. _"Game over."_

Freed's eyes widened with horror as Tatsumi dodged the bullet at nearly point-blank range. "You first."

Issei was horrified as what he saw. Tatsumi swung his sword at Freed's gun hand, inflicting a gruesome cut to the exorcist's arm and causing him to drop the gun. Freed writhed in agony as he held his hand over the large gash on his arm. A big mistake. Tatsumi took this as an opportunity to strike again and this blow was more horrifying than the last.

"My face!" Freed screamed as he held his hands over his bleeding mouth sides. "You shitty devil lover! You cut my mouth!"

Tatsumi ignored his screams and went into to deal the final blow. However, a sudden scream stopped him from doing so. He turned around and his eyes widened to see Asia standing right there. She looked terrified and it looked as if she was starting to tear up. Surely, she would understand the situation. She knew that this Freed guy was the bad guy... right? She just had to know that was no way that she could think that Tatsumi did this all... right?

"Tatsumi-san, Issei-san what is going on here? Why are you...?" She seemed to trail off when she noticed the dead body of Issei's client which promptly caused her to scream again.

"Asia-chan! Asia-chan!" Freed wheezed as he quickly moved in front of Asia. "Heal me! Look at what that shitty devil lover did to my face! Heal me quickly so I can kill them both!"

Tatsumi and Issei both narrowed their eyes at Freed while Asia looked at them with both curiosity and concern. She then looked back at Freed and developed a rather sorrowful and pleading expression on her face, much to Tatsumi's and Issei's surprise.

"Please Father, stop this. Tatsumi-san and Issei-san are good people." Asia pleaded with the crazed priest. "They helped me a lot when I first arrived at this city."

After hearing her words, Freed quickly developed an angered expression and slapped Asia's cheek so hard, that she lost her footing from the sudden painful action and fell on her side. "You bitch! You're no better than that shitty devil lover over there!" He shouted while pointing at Tatsumi.

"Bastard!" Tatsumi and Issei shouted at the same time before exchanging looks with each other. They nodded and Tatsumi charged forward at Freed, this time with the intent of finishing the deed.

However, before Tatsumi could reach Freed, a blinding red light encased the whole room and what appeared to be a magical symbol materialized in the air. A few seconds later, a blast of red-black energy came screaming out the magic symbol towards Freed.

The blast appeared to have hit the crazy exorcist dead on since he was blasted away from where he stood just. A few more seconds later, the entire Occult Research club came out of the circle.

"Don't worry Issei-kun, we've come to save..." Kiba started before he noticed Tatsumi.

"A little late there pretty boy." Tatsumi deadpanned.

Akeno laughed. "Oh my, you just seem to find yourself in bad situations Tatsumi-san."

"Don't I know it." Tatsumi cringed.

The brunette then felt someone's intense stare on the back of his head, so he turned around to see that it was Rias glaring at him, her arms crossed and everything.

Tatsumi just gave her a dry look and turned back around.

"How reckless can you get? You go in and fight a stray exorcist without giving it a second thought?" Rias scolded with a wag of her finger.

Tatsumi shrugged. "Yes I do, but I don't see how that concerns you. You're not the boss of me so you really don't have any say in what I do." He stated defiantly before looking at Koneko and nonchalantly saying, "Hey, Koneko-chan, how have you been?"

"...good." The white girl replied with a nod.

"Well ain't this a touching scene?!"

Everyone turned to the side to see Freed standing at the doorway. He was still heavily injured, but was otherwise not harmed by the blast of energy that was just thrown his way. The smoldering hilt of the sword indicated that the crazy exorcist blocked Rias attack with the sword and got it destroyed in the process.

Tatsumi grit his teeth. This guy was hard to kill, almost like a cockroach. The difference, however, was that a cockroach was actually hard to kill, this guy just didn't know when it was convenient to die.

"It appears that there are too many shitty devils here at once!" Freed exclaimed, the crazed look from before returning to his face. "Sorry, but I can't play anymore, it stinks in here!"

That was when the exorcist produced something from his robes and threw it on the ground. A large cloud of smoke appeared, blinding everyone in the room. A few seconds later a scream and rushed footsteps could be heard.

Tatsumi burst out of the cloud of smoke and followed the sound of the scream and the footsteps out the door. He knew it! That smoke cover was only a ploy to make a quick get away.

_"I'll kill you Freed! I'll kill you!"_

The brunette sprinted out of the house and looked around for any signs of Freed and Asia. At first, there was nothing, but then out of the corner of his eye he spotted two figures running into a nearby alley. Tatsumi sprinted after them and quickly reached the alley. But... when he got there, they were gone. It was almost like they had vanished into thin air. What was going on here?

_"Where did they..!" _Tatsumi began thinking before a black feather fluttered down from the sky. It looked a lot like one of the feathers from...

Tatsumi crushed the feather tightly in his hand as rage boiled inside of him. He couldn't help Schere and he couldn't save Braht... because he was weak. But he was going to make a difference this time. There was no way that he was going to let Asia die even if she hated him for what he would have to do to save her.

She was innocent, she literally did nothing wrong! He wasn't going to let a good person die... not again.

"This isn't over!" Tatsumi proclaimed loudly into the night sky. _"I'll definitely save you, Asia!"_

* * *

**A/N:**

Point out any mistakes you see in the chapter and they will be fixed.

Questions, comments, concerns?

**Character Names: **

I forgot to mention this last chapter but I'm using the alternative spells of the characters names of AGK, not what the official spelling is. Why not? I like the alternative spellings better and it is what I'm used to so I'm sorry if I confused any of you with my choices of names. Here are the characters with the true and alternative spellings of their names:

Alternative \- Official

Esdese - Esdeath

Ran - Run

Rabac - Lubbock

Schere - Sheele

Braht - Bulat

Bors - Bols

Shura - Syura

Mein - Mine

That is it I think.

***Edit* Tatsumi's Previous Life:**

Almost forgot this. Tatsumi's life was basically the same it was in the Manga up until where the final showdown (which hasn't happened yet) occurs. So, everything is the same. Mein was still his girlfriend all of that Jazz.

**Harem List:**

Okay let me get this out of the way. There probably **_WILL NOT_** be a harem list in this story, at least until all the members have shown up since I don't want to spoil or mislead anyone since all the picks are up in the air as right now. But, I will reveal the identity of one of our pick and stated that two of our picks are concrete, so they are in for sure. So I will confirm that one of our pick is...

Rossweisse

You guys were spot on in guessing her. I won't give any any specific details but I confirm that she is a concrete pick in this story. Oh and you guys and still suggest character just remember to give a reason why though.

**Lemons:**

Hmm...what I've decided to do with them is this: if there is a lemon in this story it will not be written in the story. Instead it will be written either a collection of lemons or be put up somewhere else. When and if that actually happens I'll explain it more in depth.

**Freed vs Tatsumi:**

It was Tatsumi's to lose. If he didn't have to worry about Issei than Freed would have been a pretty easy target since he is like a crazier version of Zank. The difference is that Zank had Spectator so he could really screw up his opponent's rhythm. If Freed had Spectator...I don't even know what would happen to be honest. It probably wouldn't have been so crushing but Tatsumi fought against Spectator once...so.

**The 1st Magician:**

Let the theory-craft begin. I was impressed about what you guys came up with about Incurio and now I'm interested to see what you can make of this little bit of information.

Questions, comments, concerns?


	3. Chapter 3

_**If you want to see my logic behind a few of my decisions see the bottom of the A/N. That is all**_

* * *

The faint rays of moonlight phased through the window where Tatsumi laid in his bed. His green eyes were focused intently yet blankly on the white, featureless ceiling. He had be doing this, just staring at the ceiling idly, for at least an hour. While this was probably the last thing that he should have been doing, it was really the only thing that he could do right now. After all, what choice did he really have? Those fallen angels flew off with Asia and Freed to God knows where and it didn't seem like the Occult Research club was going to do anything about it either. So Tatsumi did the only thing he could do...

He begrudgingly went home.

As much as he would have loved to just blame Rias for interfering with the whole situation, it was probably his own fault for not finishing off Freed earlier in their battle. Besides, he made a promise to aniki that he wouldn't let his emotions rule him and that he would continue to get stronger. So far, he seemed to be neglecting the first part. This new... life... made him soft.

In his other world there was always a struggle. He was used to the need to literally fight almost every day to survive. Here... there was no such need so he hesitated, if even if it was for a moment. How could a seasoned assassin hesitate? Simple, psychology.

Tatsumi hadn't killed anyone in the last sixteen years and didn't even have to fight. He was completely at peace with himself and with the world around him. The matter of fact was that he didn't die in vain in his other world and that he didn't have a reason to fight or kill in this one. He was also lucky enough to walk away from his past experiences without any trauma so he didn't have any complaints there either. Basically, Tatsumi had grown soft and used to his life of peace. Simply going back to killing after such a long time... was not something easily done.

_"I guess, I really am the one to blame here." _Tatsumi sighed deeply. _"To think... if I didn't mess up, I could have saved her." _He suddenly sat up. _"But laying here and beating myself over it isn't going to solve anything."_

The green eyed teen clenched his hand into a fist. _"I don't know what I'm suppose to do though."_

His eyes traveled to his sword, which was leaned up against the wall. About an hour ago, when he got home, he had done maintenance on it to ensure that it is always at top condition. He was lucky that it didn't break during his entire time in his other world and that it still remained strong in this world. The last thing he wanted to do was tempt fates and let his sword's condition deteriorate, especially in a times like this. The fact that it was the only thing that remained of Tatsumi's other world, besides his memories, made it all the more worth maintaining.

Tatsumi got off of his bed, walked over to the sword and picked it up. He examined the polished blade closely for any potential cracks, rust or blemishes he may have missed before. When he didn't find any he turned and made his way towards the door that lead into the living room.

_"Asia… just hold on." _He thought as he slipped into his shoes and opened the door. _"I can't save you right now... but I'll make sure that when I get the chance, I will." _He finished as he walked out the door to practice some of the moves that Akame had taught him.

However, the green eyed teen couldn't help but feel that there was something... calling him. Almost like something was trying to get his attention or reach out for him or something. But, this calling wasn't strange, it actually felt familiar. It was... warm, warm and familiar.

* * *

The sun was bright and the sky was clear, but the streets of the town were noticeably empty as lunchtime approached. How strange, this was usually the time that the streets were packed with people. The weather was nice too, and it had been nice for the last week or so. Why people would choose stay in on such a wonderful day was baffling. However, the answer may have not been as obscure as it seemed to be. In fact, the answer may have been more supernatural in nature than relatively scientific. Or... it just could have been a slow day.

Among the scarcely populated streets was Tatsumi. The former assassin weaved his way around the people that he came across as he moved swiftly and intently towards his destination. A pair of headphones covered his ears and a long jacket traced his movements as the large bass case strapped to his back swayed with every step. He was a man on a mission, a mission that started because of something he found at his doorstep this day.

_"That note is pretty suspicious." _Tatsumi thought as he pulled out the slightly crumbled and worn down piece of paper from his jacket's pocket.

This morning, on his way out the door to look for clues as to where the fallen angels may have taken Asia, Tatsumi noticed a note just outside his door. Well... he didn't exactly notice it, he actually stepped on it, but the point was that he found a note. The contents of the note were pretty suspicious and quite cliche if you asked Tatsumi. It was the typical "meet me at this location" sort of thing. The writer even cut out letter from magazines and newspapers to disguise their handwriting. Whoever wrote this was either really not messing around… or had a really strange sense of humor.

Although, one thing was certain, the author of the note wasn't a fallen angel or that Freed freak. It made sense because there was nothing to gain from writing that note except for possibly luring Tatsumi into a trap. Still, staging an attack in broad daylight was probably the last thing that those guys wanted. Surely, they weren't that stupid... were they?

_"I guess I won't find out until I get there." _Tatsumi thought as he folded up the paper and shoved it back into his pocket. _"Finding Asia comes first. I don't have any time for games, especially ones that reek of a set up."_

At that moment, the green eyed teen passed the park that the note had singled out for a rendezvous point. It was also the same park that Issei had died in, and the same park that Tasumi had gone out of his way to avoid since that day.

It was a lesser known fact that the scent of death was not easily washed off, and no amount of water or soap or bleach is going to permanently get rid of it. It has been thought that the memory of death is linked to the sense of scent, and let's just say that this scent brought back some... unpleasant memories for Tatsumi. Ones that he wished to forget.

_"That is the downside of being reborn I guess." _Tatsumi sighed somberly. _"You still remember everything that happened in your past life. All the good times... and all the bad times."_

Suddenly, Tatsumi felt someone grab his shoulder, not in an aggressive way but in a way that surely got his attention. The green eyed teen turned his head slightly to see Issei standing behind him. It seemed that the perverted boy had recovered from his injuries rather quickly, probably because of Rias or Akeno's doing. There was something strange about this whole situation though. Rias or anyone else from her peerage couldn't be spotted nearby so they either got better at hiding, or they truly weren't here.

Tatsumi removed his headphones and arched an eyebrow. "Issei-san? What are you doing here?"

Said boy's face scrunched in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked with a scratch of his chin. "Didn't you get my note?"

Tatsumi tilted his head to the side and pulled out the crumbled and now wadded piece of paper from his pocket. He lifted it up for Issei to see. "You mean this note? Why would you send me a note? You could have just talked to me you know."

"Y-yeah but... you're kind of... uh… intimidating." Issei admitted while sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "The way you talk to Bachou, it almost seems as if you hate her, so I wasn't sure if approaching you directly was a good idea."

"Intimidating?"

That word brought back memories of Tatsumi's childhood in this world. That was the word that all the teachers used to describe him when he was in grade school. His classmates, however, choose much meaner words like 'freak'. They were scared of him because they didn't understand him. Due to having memories and experiences of his previous life, Tatsumi was not an average child by any means and because of this… he was very lonely. His was branded as a freak since grade school and didn't have any friends until high school. As sad as it sounded... Tatsumi didn't really care since he was satisfied with his life.

Issei nodded energetically. "You are pretty intimidating." He stated plainly. "The fact that you can use that sword so well is scary enough by itself." He finished with a dreadful cringe.

"Good point." Tatsumi agreed with a nod. "Also, for the record, I don't hate Rias-senpai or any of you guys." He stated, making Issei blink in surprise. "While I don't like Kiba and I don't necessarily care for how Rias-senpai does things, I don't let my dissatisfaction affect how I see you guys."

Suddenly, Issei gained a serious look and smirked. "Finally! There is another person that doesn't like the pretty boy either." He beat his hand against his chest. "Us, normal looking guys, have to stick together against the pretty boy scourge." He finished with fire burning in his eyes.

Tatsumi rolled his eyes. _"Is that really what you're concerned about?" _He thought dryly.

"Yeah, I wouldn't go so far as to put us in the same boat, Issei." Tatsumi waved Issei off. "As much I would love to sit here and talk to you, I have things to do. I'm sure whatever you wanted to talk about can be saved for later." As Tatsumi was about to turn around, he felt Issei grip his shoulder again, but this time a lot firmer than from before.

The green eyed teen narrowed his eyes when he studied Issei's face. The perverted boy's expression was much more serious and determined than any look Tatsumi had ever seen him make. It was rather shocking to see such an expression on the perverted boy's face. In way, it was actually quite admirable.

_"Reminds me of when I joined Night Raid's cause." _Tatsumi noted with a small smile.

"I want to save Asia, but in order to do that… I need your help." Issei stated earnestly.

Tatsumi blinked. "You want to save Asia-san?" He repeated the question for clarification.

The perverted boy nodded. "More than anything else."

"Why ask me then? Surely, Rias-senpai would help you." Tatsumi folded his arms and developed a skeptical look "If you wanted to find her then Rias-senpai could probably do it better than I could by myself."

Issei hung his head. "I don't think that is an option."

"And why is that?" An eyebrow was arched.

"Because, Bachou told me to forget about Asia, that's it's too dangerous for me to continue associating with her." Issei said sadly. "But, I really want to save her. I can't just leave her with those freaks." He continued. "Even if I die, I can at least make sure that Asia is able to escape."

Tatsumi didn't reply immediately, he was perfectly content with Issei's answer. So... it seemed that Issei wasn't as bad as what the rumors said about him. Well... they probably were in terms of his perverse actions, but they said nothing about this part of him. Tatsumi was now convinced that Issei meant every word he said. He was surprisingly an honest person, at least from Tatsumi's point of view.

It still didn't change the fact that Issei was a pervert thou, but at least he made it clear that he was a "chivalrous pervert."

"I like that answer." Tatsumi stated with a smile. "Alright, I'll help you." Issei's eyes lit up. "But! This by no means makes us friends or makes me loyal to Rias-senpai. All I want to do is save Asia."

Issei nodded vigorously and smiled before holding out his hand. "I guess that means we're temporary partners."

"I guess so." Tatsumi shook his head. "I would prefer Koneko-chan though."

Tears streamed down Issei's face. "You're so cruel Tatsumi-san."

"Issei-san, Tatsumi-san?"

Both of the teenagers looked over to the side and were stunned to see Asia standing there, safe, sound, and seemingly uninjured. She did, however, look like she was confused about something, and at the same time she also seemed to be focused on something as well. It took the male duo a couple of seconds realize what it was: the handshake. They instantly broke it off.

"Well... that was easy." Issei commented.

"Yep."

"So... what do we do now?" The perverted boy asked, really confused on what to do.

"Get lunch?" Tatsumi offered with a shrug.

"Uh, I guess?"

* * *

The inside of the Arlington Cafe was surprisingly crowded. Despite the streets being so scarcely populated, the Arlington Cafe actually had a considerable number of customers. It was no full house of course, but it was definitely hosting more customers than any other café or restaurant in the district at the moment. Again, the magic of animal ears and tails showed its might in the face of adversity. However, such accessories didn't charm everyone.

Tatsumi's eyebrow twitched as he glared at Issei, who, in a rather annoying fashion, was being very vocal about his tastes in animal ears. What wrong with this guy? Even the music club president wasn't this bad of a pervert and that was _really _saying something. In his mind Tatsumi apologized to Rabac, may his soul rest in peace, for making a back handed remark about the green haired man's own perverse actions. He was truly sorry.

"As much as I would love to hear the rest of your rant about cat ears vs fox ears, I think there are more pressing matters." Tatsumi cut off Issei, much to the latter's dismay, before turning his attention to Asia. "Asia-san, I know this may be hard for you, but I need to ask you some questions, is that okay?"

The blond girl frowned, she probably knew what was coming, but she nodded regardless.

"My first question is, how are you here right now? The last time we saw you, you were taken away by that Freed guy." Tatsumi inquired, his arms folded and his expression serious.

Asia lowered her head. "I... ran away from the church." She said, gaining a shocked expression from Issei. "I was going to tell you that I was on my break, but when I saw that both of you were at the park I decided to be honest."

Tatsumi nodded. "My second question is where did they keep you?"

"At the church near the city's edge."

The green eyed teen pinched the bridge of his nose, tilted his head back and inhaled sharply. He should have known, how could he have been so stupid? Asia did say that she got transferred to this town's church, where else was she going to be? They literally hid her in plain sight and he wasn't able to put it together. This was definitely a face slapping moment, but not in front of Asia. Besides, this just made Tatsumi's job much easier in the end, now he didn't have to search high and low for those black-winged bastards.

"Now, my third and final question is, how many fallen angels are there?" Tatsumi asked, knitting his fingers together. This was the question he wanted to ask from the very beginning, since it would decide his next course of action.

Asia didn't answer immediately. "I think, there were four of them counting Raynare-sama."

Instantly, Issei and Tatsumi locked gazes with each other. Raynare, a predictable evil mastermind behind all of this. She even fit the description well: evil and a fallen angel. In their hearts, Tatsumi and Issei probably both knew that she was involved in some way, considering she was running amok lately. Also, she was the only fallen angel that Issei or Tatsumi could think of right off hand. Now the question is... why would she want Asia?

_"Four of them huh? Well, that is going to complicate things. It seems I'm going to need those after all." _Tatsumi noted mentally before getting out of his seat. "I'm sorry, but I need to go and take care of something. I will see you guys later." The teen then stood up and was about to walk away until…

"Wait." Tatsumi stopped and looked at Asia who was fidgeting a bit in her seat. "S-since you asked me a few questions, it's only natural that I get to ask a few things myself… right?"

Tatsumi sighed and sat back down. "That is fair, I guess."

"My first and only question is..." Asia started as a frown spread across over face. "Were you really going to kill Father Freed?"

Tatsumi sighed and looked way. He knew that this would come up eventually. He has resolved himself to kill the stray exorcist without hesitating anymore. If it meant protecting Issei and Asia, then killing Freed was just something that he had to do… even if Asia might end up hating him for it. Now, the real question here is... how should he answer her.

Tatsumi sighed again. "Yes, I was going to kill him." He admitted remorselessly, making Asia gasp. "When it comes to my friends and family, I'll do anything to protect them. If that means killing Freed to save them and other innocent people, then I will do it." He continued with a cold gaze. "Truth be told, I could have killed Freed back then... but I made a mistake, and now we're in this situation."

"We all make mistakes." Issei stated softly, earning a nod from Asia. "Plus, you did save me back there, so I'm grateful for that." He gave a small smile. "I'm weak after all. I'm so weak that I couldn't do anything. If you hadn't interfered as you did, I would have most likely been killed."

"I don't think that makes you any less likable." Asia stated, earning the attention of the Kuoh student duo. She smiled shyly, her cheeks flushed red. "You both are the kindest people that I have ever met… and I am really thankful for meeting you two in my short time here."

"So, we're friends?" Issei asked with a smile before looking at Tatsumi. "I mean, me and Tatsumi-san and friends with Asia-san, right?" He asked nervously.

"Nice save." Tatsumi commented with a smirk.

Issei then decided to change topics. "So, Asia, perhaps you could tell us your story, you know, what was your life like before you got mixed up in all this mess with the fallen angels and that psycho exorcist?"

Tatsumi tilted his head to the side. _"Her story?" _The teen can truthfully admit that he himself was also curious about Asia's life, but the sorrowful expression she gained when Issei asked her about it, made Tatsumi reconsider that perhaps it wasn't the best thing to inquire about.

Asia took in a deep breath and recomposed herself, even if barely. "I was abandoned as a baby by my parents at the steps of one of Rome's churches." Asia started. "The church took me in and raised me there." She paused for a moment. "Then, one day, an injured puppy wandered into the church's courtyard. I prayed to God with all I had so that the puppy would get better. That was when my... power, had awakened."

Tatsumi and Issei remained silent as Asia continued her story.

"When my miracle was discovered, I was moved into the Main Church where people from all over the world came to hear my prayers." She stated with a smile. "I was truly happy that I could help so many people. It made me feel like I had something great to offer, that I was useful." She continued. "Then... one day, after finishing attending the morning masses, I stumbled across an injured boy. Without hesitating, I quickly healed him… only later to find out that he was a devil."

Tatsumi's eyes narrowed at that last bit of information, and the sad look that took hold of Asia's face after she said that. "I was branded as witch for healing a devil and was immediately excommunicated."

Issei looked away somberly while Tatsumi hung his head down. This is why he didn't care for this world's religion, but that wasn't saying that the religions back in his previous world were any better though.

Religion has always been a tricky subject, and the wrong thing to comment about since it was the same as asking for trouble from particularly zealous believers. But still, how could the Catholic Church banish Asia after all that she did for them? She healed them for crying out loud! How could they just toss her out for healing someone who she wasn't even aware of being a devil? It was ingrates and judgmental people like them that cause all the problems in the world... well... not exactly all of them… but they still are responsible for a lot of them! They're too close minded to even appreciate what has been done for them. How disgusting.

"Dammit, that is pretty harsh." Issei commented sadly.

"It is. You did so much for them without asking anything in return, and those bastards banished you for a simple, small mistake." Tatsumi added as he slumped down into his chair.

"Don't say that." Asia cried defensively.

Tatsumi rolled his eyes. "I don't see why you're now defending them." He continued disdainfully. "They treated you so badly and for what reason? For helping someone that you weren't even aware of being a devil? How were you even supposed to know that?"

"Yeah!" Issei agreed.

The green eyed male sighed. "But... I guess that shows just how kind you really are Asia-san." He added. "Most of your life you've remained faithful to your religion, and later on was treated badly by the very people that made you believe in it... and yet, in the end... you still don't hate them." He looked out the window to see the streets were still empty. "But, at what cost?"

Asia tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Tatsumi turned back to face her and briefly glanced at Issei out of the corner of his eyes. "Asia... you're a lonely girl, aren't you?"

Both the blonde girl and Issei looked shocked at Tatsumi's statement. The brown haired swordsman smiled warmly. "If it makes you feel any better, I was lonely too, until I met Koneko-chan." He laughed lowly. "I won't lie, she's my only friend and she means a lot to me."

Light tears started to well up in Asia's eyes as Tatsumi continued. "But, it looks like I have just gained another important friend in my life. You won't ever have to be alone again, Asia, now that you have me and Issei-san, right?"

Tatsumi heard someone sniffling, but it wasn't coming from Asia. The former assassin turned his head to side to see Issei trying as hard as he could to hold back what appeared to be tears.

"Well said man, well said!" Issei gave a thumbs up as tears started to flow down his cheeks like small waterfalls.

"Why is it that every time I see you, you always end up crying?" Tatsumi commented while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Issei deflated and hung his head low while Tatsumi tried to hide the small smirk on his face. He didn't hate Issei, he really didn't... but Issei was kind of fun to poke fun at. Tatsumi didn't know if it was because of how Issei reacted, or if it was his hilarious face expressions… well, whatever it was, it was fun. This must have been the feeling that those people got when they were hazing the new guys. Although, now that he put it that way... he didn't want to be like that… he'll have to make it up to Issei later. But, later was hours from now.

"Well, as I said before, I've got to go." Tatsumi got up out of his chair. "Issei, take her to the safest place you can think off. I won't be there this time in case you're attacked."

Issei arched an eyebrow. "Then why not come with us?"

"Because they're probably be looking for me." The green eyed teen responded as he strapped the bass case to his back. "Not being rude here, Issei, but which person do you do think they are most likely are going to conclude that Asia ran off to? To the guy that has injured two of their members, or to the guy that has been injured by two of their members?"

The perverted boy raised a finger and look like he was getting ready to say something, but deflated once more. "Point taken." He stated before looking at his classmate hopefully. "But, I can spend some more time with her, right?"

Tatsumi sighed. "It would be better if you take her somewhere safe as soon as possible." He said knowingly. "But, I guess if you make it quick, then they might not find out about you."

Issei's face lit up. "So it means, that I can spend the day with her?"

"Were you even going to do what I said anyways?" Tatsumi asked, making Issei look away. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Sorry."

"Remember what I said Issei, make it quick and get somewhere safe fast." Tatsumi said in a commanding voice.

Issei clenched his hand into a fist. "Alright!"

"You don't have a problem with that do you, Asia-san?" The former assassin asked the blonde nun.

Said blonde shook her head. "N-no."

"Okay then, I'll leave her in your care Issei."

"Where exactly are you going?" Tatsumi heard Issei ask as he was walked away.

Tatsumi stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to take care of our fallen angel problem." He stated coldly, making Issei and Asia shiver. "But before that, I need some... tools first." He finished as he walked out the door.

_"Don't fail, Issei-san." _The former assassin thought as he run as fast he could towards his destination. _"Remember what I told you."_

* * *

Rias sighed as she looked at Issei. Her pawn had just barged into the clubroom about ten minutes ago with a bloody shirt and a sealed wound on his chest. There was no doubt that this was the work of a fallen angel. Although, when Issei told her his story she noticed a few things that were a bit... off.

The first thing she noticed about his story is that this Asia girl was involved yet again, even after she had repeatedly told Issei to stay away from her. The second thing she noticed was Tatsumi's involvement in this. Despite how adamant he was in staying out of things that concern her, Sona, or their respective peerages. Why get involved with Issei now? It didn't add up.

Rias's green eyes moved to the side to see Akeno standing at the entrance with a smile on her face as usual. Kiba was sitting on the couch, polishing his sword and Koneko was sitting on the couch, eating some sweets. Basically, everyone except for Issei was acting like they usually do.

"Issei-kun, I told you repeatedly not to get involved with that nun." Rias chided with annoyance. "But, now it seems that even Tatsumi-san has gotten involved in your shenanigans."

Issei shook his head vigorously. "But he knows Asia-san too! He wants to save her as much as I do!" He almost shouted. "If you won't do anything to save her, than Tatsumi-san will! And I will help him!"

"No, you will not!" Rias countered as she got up from behind her desk. "I will not allow you to! You've almost died twice in one week's time and if you die again, I won't be able to bring you back this time."

Issei looked away with a sour look on his face. "What's the big deal then, huh?" He looked back at his Bachou. "I'm just one piece on the chess board right? A simple pawn! I'm easily replaced."

A slap suddenly rang out and everyone in the room, even Koneko, turned to see Rias standing in front of the perverted teen, her arm in a post slapping position while Issei's head was turned in a similar position. It was pretty obvious to everyone in the room, even to the ones that weren't looking, of what just happened. They'd be lying if they said they didn't see it coming, they were actually kind of expecting it to happen.

"Don't talk like that Issei-kun." Rias said, pulling her hand back. "Do you really think that the pawn piece is the weakest?" She asked, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes at the boy in front of her. "The pawn piece has special traits that none of the other pieces have: promotion."

The brown haired boy tilted his head to the side. "Promotion?"

The red haired beauty nodded. "When a pawn is deep in enemy territory, they can rank up to any other piece, besides the king." She explained. "But, it is not something that you can do at will. As I stated, it requires you to be in enemy territory, and have the permission of your king to do it."

"Enemy territory and the permission of the king huh? Yet several other things that you have failed to mention." A new voice said.

Slightly startled, everyone turned to the door to see Tatsumi standing there. The green eyed male didn't seem to be in a very good mood, given the cold and distant look in his eyes.

Rias shivered a bit, this was the kind of look that he made back before she reincarnated Issei, the same look he had when he threatened the fallen angel. It was just as intimidating as it was back then. This boy was more frightening than anything she had ever seen in her life. But... how could someone so young be so threatening?

"Rias-senpai." Tatsumi breathed, his voice even and firm. "What Issei-san said is true." He stated, shocking the redhead. "I met Asia-san the same day as he did, and just like him, I do want to save Asia… with or without your help."

The teen assassin glanced to the side to see Issei giving him a sorrowful look. Tatsumi closed his and eyes sighed before walking up to the brown haired boy with a blank expression on his face. The coldness of his eyes disappeared, and instead was replaced by... a sense of pity.

"Tatsumi-san I…" Issei started before Tatsumi put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." Tatsumi waved him off before giving a small smile. "It's not like you gave her to them, right? You tried your best to protect her." He said, much to everyone's surprise. "Besides, you asked me to help you save her, remember? We'll get her back."

Issei blinked in surprise at his classmate before smiling back. "Yeah."

"So, you had a fun day with her right?' Tatsumi asked with a blank look, much to everyone's shock.

The perverted boy nodded. "Yes, we had a blast." He answered honestly, a ghost of a smile appeared on his face before quickly disappearing. "I should have listened to you. I should have taken her somewhere safe, but... she told me that this maybe the last time I'll see her."

The green eyed male quirked an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"She... she told me that when we were hanging out." Issei responded. "I don't know what she meant that, but I had a feeling she was serious."

_"What? But why would she... oh no." _Tatsumi's eyes widened when the realization hit him. The fallen angels... were going to kill Asia. That was the only reason that he could think of as to why she would say something like that.

"Tatsumi-san," Said boy turned to look at Rias, and saw her giving him a stern look. "I cannot allow you to go after this girl either." She stated sternly. "You will die if you go there. You may have been able to take on a single fallen angel and a stray exorcist." She continued before narrowing her eyes at the former assassin. "But, there is no way that you can take on all of those fallen angels, plus that exorcist."

Tatsumi gave her a dry look. "If you hadn't been careless and pulled the weed out by its root from the very beginning, we wouldn't be in this situation." He snapped harshly, making Rias flinch. "You should have killed Raynare when you had the chance, but you let her live. You could have just asked Issei-san to join your peerage, but you didn't. "

Rias stayed silent as Tatsumi took the bass case off his back, opened it, and pulled out the sword she saw him use earlier. It looked especially lethal and sharp today, it almost seemed... deadlier than it was when she first saw it. There was a certain light that seemed to be hitting it. Whatever it was, it gave Rias a very, very, very bad feeling that nothing good was going to come out of this.

"I had my reasons." Rias countered weakly.

Tatsumi rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you did. But now, these so-called 'reasons' are going to get an innocent girl killed." He commented bluntly. "If you would have just acted from the very beginning, don't you think this all could have been avoided?"

"That's..." Rias started to say before she trailed off and looked down guilty.

Tatsumi sighed in exasperation. "Sill, despite that, I don't hate you, any of you." He stated, making everyone look at him. "I'm sure that you are all wonderful people, at least I think so, but it seems that circumstances are working against you." He continued. "Besides, despite what you have done, I'm not completely innocent here either. If I just finished off Freed when I had the chance, then Asia-san probably wouldn't have been taken."

Tatsumi started to walk towards the door. "I can't waste any more time here. You can either help me, or don't, but I'm going to save Asia-san."

"Stop! If you go to that church, you will die." Rias shouted at him as he walked away.

"You don't seem to realize that I don't take orders from you." The green eyed male responded bluntly. "I'm not your servant and I'm not your friend. I am just a stranger to you and almost everyone in this room." He spelled out harshly. "If I want to save my friend, then I'm going to save my friend… especially if I know that I can do it."

Tatsumi stopped by the doorway. "If you ever want to move out of the stranger phase, I suggest you begin making better choices from now on. Then I'll actually consider making the attempt to get to know you, Senpai."

With those final words said, he left.

* * *

The fading rays of sunlight were now completely eclipsed by the blanket of darkness that was night. As darkness reigned, the calls of nocturnal animals echoed through the air, playing the symphony of the night. However, in one area, it was silent like death.

Not a single sound could be heard around the old church at the outskirts of the town. The church itself looked to be a little worn down from all the years that it had stood on the cliff, looking down on everything else from its throne. The church was surrounded by a large forest that was home to many creatures who, for some reason, were dead silent.

Tatsumi rushed through the forest. The tail of his jacket whipped behind him as he sped through the trees, and towards the church building. As he got closer, he could feel stray traces of killing intent swelling into a large mass of a murderous cancer. However, this was nothing compared to some of the foes that Tatsumi fought back in his world. Zank alone would have produced more than whoever was releasing this.

_"Just hang on Asia, I'm coming." _Tatsumi grit his teeth as he plowed through the plants, ducked under a branch, and broke into a clearing inside the forest. He suddenly stopped as a trio of light spears came down in front of him.

"Not so fast, shorty." A high pitched, feminine voice taunted.

At that moment, three figures dropped just a few feet away in front of him. Two of them were female and one was a male. One of the females was blond, short, and was wearing what looked like a gothic lolita dress. The other female was much taller, much more mature and well endowed, had blue hair, and was wearing a very revealing dress. The male looked to be middle aged, had black hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a trench coat and wore a fedora hat on his head.

"Ah, you must be that human brat that Raynare mentioned." The blonde one started with a smirk. "How sweet, the devils send you as a diversion so they can go in and rescue the girl."

"Get out of my way." Tatsumi stated, completely ignoring what the fallen angel just said, much to her ire.

"How rude!" The blonde fallen angel shouted, childishly stamping her foot on the ground. "We went through all this trouble to greet you and this is the greeting we receive in return!?" She huffed before puffing her cheeks out and looked away. "I don't see why you're so eager. The ceremony has already started. You'll never save that girl in time."

That made Tatsumi quirk an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'ceremony?'"

The blonde smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"What the ceremony is doesn't matter. All that counts is what is here and now, and what I see now is what I think is a worthy opponent." The only male in the trio stated, folding his arms as he did so. "You may not look like it, but you're either really dangerous... or just really lucky." He scoffed. "I was actually expecting to fight a grown man, but instead I find a mere boy."

The second, taller female sighed. "Can we just get this over with? This is dreadfully boring."

The trio of fallen angels prepared to take off into the sky, but before they could, Tatsumi bolted straight towards them. A bit startled by his speed, the angels quickly threw spears at him, but Tatsumi skillfully dodged them all and continued his accelerated advance. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Tatsumi was upon Mittelt and unleashed a flurry of strikes at her. The blond fallen angel gritted her teeth as the strikes tore through her clothes and bit into her flesh. This human sure was fast wasn't he?

"Brat!" Dohnaseek, the male fallen angel, shouted as he and Kalawarner, the taller female, threw spears at Tatsumi back… but it proved to be ineffective.

Even while dodging the spears, Tatsumi didn't relent on his attack and stuck to Mittelt like glue. He was intent on taking out at least one of them out before they took flight on him... and it looked like he was going to get his chance. The blonde fallen angel in front him smirked as she formed a spear in her hand, intent on throwing it at Tatsumi at close range.

"Got you!" She shouted triumphantly as the spear flew towards his head. But her eyes widened with horror when Tatsumi dodged it, and two more spears from Kalawarner and Dohnaseek, before swinging his sword.

Her scream echoed through the night as the sword cut her skin, spattering her blood onto the grass and trees like a paint. Tatsumi's face remained cold and emotionless as Mittelt's body fell to the ground, a deep and savage cut strategically placed below her waist and the look of horror frozen on her face. It only took her comrades a moment to realize what happened.

Mittelt was dead.

Noticing that they were distracted by the loss of their comrade, Tatsumi rushed forward with the intent of killing another one before they could recover from the shock. However, Dohnaseek and Kalawarner both snapped out of it and took flight, gaining the aerial advantage they had over Tatsumi. But, the former assassin didn't stop running. He instead kept rushing towards the spot that the two fallen angels once stood.

From above, Dohnaseek and Kalawarner threw spear after spear at Tatsumi in fury, but he dodged them all gracefully before disappearing into the foliage of the forest.

"Shit!" Dohnaseek cursed as he started to throw spears randomly at the trees. The situation was really bad, and it was just about to get worse. The scream that followed just confirmed this.

The aged fallen angel looked over his shoulder just in time to see Kalawarner being pulled down into the forest. His vision might have been a little bit short because of the night's darkness, but he could have sworn that he just saw the moonlight reflect the surface of some sort of wire.

Before he could get a better look, Kalawarner disappeared into the thick cover of the trees. Then, the screaming stopped and silence took its spot. The silence lasted for what seemed like hours before...

"You know, this was the worst spot to fight me." Dohnaseek's eyes widened with horror as he looked up to see Tatsumi, much higher in the air and about to come down on him. The green eyed male smirked. "You picked a spot with plenty of high places to jump off, and you fly so low as well. It seems that this just isn't your day."

"Go to hell!" Dohnaseek shouted out defiantly as he created another spear and threw it. Tatsumi twisted in the air and came down on him with the sword.

Dohnaseek roared in pain as the cold steel blade pierced him just below his heart and the weight of Tatsumi's body crashed into him. Dohnaseek chocked on his own blood as his strength left him, causing him to lose flight and get sent into a dangerous nose dive before violently slamming into the ground. The sound of cracking bones echoed through the night as the fallen body settled into post-fall position.

The fallen angel literally chocked again as he laid motionless on the ground, the wound inflicted by the blade bled profusely as his final moments approached. He was in pain, more pain than what he had ever been in. He... lost... and to a human at that.

"I... I lost... to a human." Dohnaseek wheezed as he glared up at Tatsumi who stood over him. "How... dare you... using me as a-a... landing pad." He said before grunting in pain. "But... well played, human. Before... I go... tell me... how you got Kalawarner."

Tatsumi quirked an eyebrow before producing a grappling hook. Dohnaseek narrowed his eyes at the simple looking tool. It looked like it was handmade rather than store bought. The rope that was typically used for grappling hooks was replaced with a thick wire while the hook itself looked like two fishing hooks and a harpoon fused together. It was rather wicked and twisted for something that appeared to be handmade.

"It is a grappling hook I made to counteract your flying." Tatsumi stated as he started to walk away from the dying angel. "I knew that you fallen angels would try to fly during combat, so I made sure to have precautions in case I wasn't able to take you down quickly enough." He explained. "However, things went in my favor, so I didn't really need it until you guys took flight."

Dohnaseek gave a strained, final laugh before his eyes closed. "Well played."

Tatsumi didn't say anything as he disappeared into the foliage once again.

* * *

While the inside of the church was much more maintained than the outside of the building, there was still plenty of dust and dirt around that typically accumulated in underused buildings. However, those were petty details. In the grand scheme of things, the inside of the church wasn't really that bad looking, all the rows of seats were lined up, the alter was maintained and standing tall, and the rose-stained windows looked polished. It seemed the phrase of "don't judge a book by its cover" was true in this case.

The double doors slowly creaked open and revealed this sight to Tatsumi, sword in hand and covered in blood. His eyes narrowed as he sensed the same killing intent from before, only in a much higher dose. There were either a lot of people in here who gave off this murderous intent, or there was just one freak in particular that was both crazy and bloodthirsty.

"I've been waiting for you, you shitty devil lover!"

At that moment it was pretty obvious that it was the latter.

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes and looked straight ahead just as Freed jumped down in front of the altar. Where was he hiding? On the ceiling? What the hell? The green eyed teen sighed as now was not the time to wonder about that. Every moment he spent standing around, was a moment less he had to save Asia. Although, the expression on Freed's face made Tatsumi think that this was going to be a struggle. Well... he figured that would be the case actually.

Tatsumi didn't say anything and instead gripped his sword with both hands and shifted into his combat stance.

"What's the matter, shitty devil got your tongue?" Freed taunted, his own tongue hanging out of his mouth. "But, do not worry, this boy-priest will save the day!" He shouted at an obnoxious volume. "I'll pay you back in full for the pain you caused me." He smirked cruelly.

Tatsumi's tensed slightly when Freed produced what looked like a machine gun. The markings and coloration was very similar to the gun that Freed used during their first battle. It probably shot bullets of light or light bolts or whatever the other gun shot as well. This machine gun-like weapon was in one hand, in his other, Freed had the same gun he used from before.

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes. While Freed laughed. "I'm not stupid, crazy, but not stupid!" He shouted manically. "You can't get me with your sword if you can't get close enough to me!"

With that, Freed shot his smaller gun at Tatsumi, who easily dodged it. Freed then started to spray the area with his other gun, unleashing more light than a disco ball. Tatsumi ran forward towards Freed as he skillfully dodged the hail of projectiles sent his way. He knew that if he just kept evading all of Freed's shots and didn't strike back, he would never win and that Asia would... no... he won't let that happen. The risk now was definitely worth the potential outcome. All he needed to do was get close!

Tatsumi suddenly increased his speed, seemingly disappearing and reappearing around the shots Freed fired. Said exorcist gritted his teeth before firing his other gun into the fray. There was no way he was going to lose twice to this shitty devil lover! He hadn't even laid a finger on this brat before and now, here he was just dodging a hail of bullets like he had been doing it his whole life?! What heresy was this?!

In a matter of seconds, Tatsumi was already upon Freed. The stray exorcist laughed tauntingly as he jumped backwards, avoiding Tatusmi's strike. At a safe range, Freed used his machine gun again. But, before he could shoot, he spotted a hook shaped object heading straight for his head. He sidestepped it and laughed again.

"Is that all you got you shitty devil lover?" Freed mocked with a twisted smile.

The green eyed teen smirked. "You know it isn't." He suddenly pulled hard on something.

Freed yelped when he was suddenly ripped off his feet from below. The crazed priest hissed in pain when his body slammed onto the ground, causing him to drop his machine gun in the process. He looked up to see that the same hook from before was lodged in his pants.

Freed quickly dropped his smaller gun and reached inside his jacket to produce his light sword. He lifted it up just in time to block a downward strike from Tatsumi. The exorcist kicked the teenager away, ripped the hook out of his pants, and hopped to his feet. This was getting annoying.

The mad exorcist smirked maliciously. "It seems I'm not the only one with a new toy." He taunted, earning a death glare from Tatsumi. "Ooh! That look! I enjoy receiving death glares just about as much as I love giving them." His smirk widened. "And I find yours to be especially enjoyable."

Tatsumi didn't respond as dropped the grappling hook and picked up his sword. Freed laughed as he and Tatsumi rushed forward at each other. The two traded blows at lightning quick speeds as sparks flew form the continuous collision of their blades. However, it wasn't long before Tatsumi started to strike faster and more aggressively than he did before. His cold green eyes remained unmoved as he quickly overpowered the stray exorcist. He was done holding back. There would not be a round three if Tatsumi had his way.

_"This will be the last time, Freed." _Tatsumi warned mentally as he swiped at the stray priest's knees.

Freed managed to block the low blow, but coughed violently when Tatsumi's foot slammed into his solar plexus, one of the weaker points in the body. Freed stumbled back but was able to lift his sword to block Tatsumi's next blow.

But he yet again Freed stumbled in pain when Tatsumi kicked him again, this time into the side. He pushed pass his pain and blocked the sword strike that followed after the kick.

Faster than before, panic and fear started to fill the stray exorcist. It was clear to him at this point, that Tatsumi was fully intent on killing him right here, right now. However... that just made Freed want to live more.

"Fuck you!" Freed roared in anger as he increased the strength and speed of his strikes. Unfortunately for him, Tatsumi was unmoved by this act of preservation. He just continued to striker faster and stronger.

Freed hissed in pain as Tatsumi cut him furiously all over his body. His crimson blood ran from his wounds almost like a small river, but he still kept on trading blows with Tatsumi. He was not going to die! And if he did die, he would make sure to take this shitty devil lover with him!

"You remind me of someone that I had fought before." Tatsumi stated suddenly, making Freed quirk an eyebrow. The green eyed teen glared hatefully at the stray exorcist. "But the difference between you and him is as plain as day though."

Freed gave a twisted smirk. "Oh, and what is that? Please enlighten me?"

The white haired exorcist's eyes widened when Tatsumi suddenly vanished. Freed got into a defensive position just in time to see Tatumi reappeared and violently slash at him. Freed raised his sword to block it... but failed. A pained scream and the clunk of Freed's sword hitting the ground echoed through the church. A second later, drops of blood and few bloody objects fell to the ground.

They were Freed's severed fingers.

"He wouldn't have been hit by that." Tatsumi stated coldly as he poised his sword to strike again.

Freed, who had stumbled back a few feet, sent a glare filled with unrestrained malice at Tatsumi. He watched anxiously as the brown haired swordsman approached him. He could see the diligence in Tatsumi's eyes and he could practically taste the killing intent sent his way. However... he wasn't going to die here. Quick as lightning, Freed reached inside his jacket with his good hand and threw what he pulled out at Tatsumi.

"Grah!" A thick, blinding light was released from the thrown object. Tatsumi shielded his eyes with his arms in order to protect his eyes. But as soon as the light appeared... it quickly disappeared as well.

When Tatsumi opened his eyes, he soon found out that Freed was gone. He got away during that blast of light. However, a quick look around revealed that he failed to take his fingers with him. The crazed exorcist's bloody digits were still laying in the bloody puddle they had landed into earlier. Interestingly, another quick look around revealed a thin trail of blood leading out the front door.

Tatsumi gritted his teeth. "Dammit, he got away… again." He sneered before he noticed a door behind the altar. "As much as it pains me, I have to let him go… this time. I still need to save Asia-san."

* * *

The door behind the altar burst open to reveal a room that looked a lot like a dungeon, or some sort of torture chamber. Torches were burning alongside the walls and a large, pyramid-like stand could be seen at the other end of the room. The fact that there was a crucifix-like structure on top of the pyramid-like stand was also an indication that this room wasn't used for very nice things.

What kind of messed up church has this kind of room? Wasn't this against coding violations or something, this whole damn structure seemed illegal... and medieval.

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes dangerously at the small army of what he assumed to be stray exorcists, judging by their priestly clothing. They were giving off a considerable amount of killing intent, but it was nothing compared to what Freed gave off. They were all armed with light swords very similar to the one that Freed used. Tatsumi's eyes moved higher to the pyramid-like stand and he was both shocked and horrified at what he saw.

There was Asia, hanging lifeless on the crucifix.

She wasn't moving and it didn't even seem like she was alive. Tatsumi looked away sorrowfully, but then quickly steeled himself and readied his sword to face the stray exorcist in front of him. He didn't know if Asia was alive, and he won't found out unless he got close enough to check. However, that was easier said than done in this case.

"So you've finally arrived." A familiar voice cooed.

Tatsumi's hands tightened on the hilt of his sword as his cold green eyes were lit up with hate and anger. Raynare descended from the ceiling with the same cocky and arrogant look on her face she had when they first met. However, Tatsumi wasn't fooled, he could see right through her tough facade. She was slightly shaking, like she was scared and she wasn't looking directly at him either. It was almost looked like... she was afraid of him.

"You're too late." Raynare stated proudly and with a smirk. "The ceremony is already complete and Twilight Healing is mine." She continued with a confident laugh before glaring at Tatsumi. "Oh, how unfortunate, If only you were faster."

Tatsumi didn't say anything as he just continued to stare at the fallen angel with cold eyes.

"Ah, Azazel-sama will be so pleased with me." Raynare said as she clapped her hands together, closed her eyes, and smiled. "He'll reward me generously for my success."

"All of this... was to please some jerk?" Tatsumi questioned, fully aware of the fact that the exorcists were creeping towards him. "You killed an innocent girl... for that?"

"Don't you dare insult Azazel-sama like that!" The fallen angel snapped at the brown haired boy, but to no effect. "You don't get it do you? No wait, of course you wouldn't." She stated with a sigh. "Twilight Healing is a rare Sacred Gear and leaving it with that girl would have been a waste."

Raynare smirked, despite the fear that she felt just a few moments ago, she was feeling pretty good now. It seems that the human was finally put in his place, given that there was no retort from him, or that he didn't attack her straight away. It was definitely an improvement from what happened during their first encounter... or so she thought.

"If drop to your knees and beg me for forgiveness now, human, then maybe I'll make your death quick and painless." Raynare offered smugly with a smirk while closing her eyes. She just loved how her plan came together. Using Freed, Mittelt, Dohnaseek and Kalawarner to delay Tatsumi... and possibly that perverted idiot from before, was a perfect idea. And the best part was that she didn't have to get her own hands dirty. Azazel will be pleased with her success.

"Give. It. Back."

Raynare opened her eyes and was shocked to see the small army of exorcists, that her group had assembled, all down on the ground. They were dead, and it was pretty obvious that they were. The pools of blood, their prone figures, and blood that covered Tatsumi's clothing were all evidence of the silent slaughtered that had occurred in an instant. But... why didn't she hear any noise? The answer again, was simple... not even the exorcists realized that they had been killed.

"Obviously you didn't hear me." Tatsumi said lowly and darkly as he started to walk towards the stand. "I said to give it back." He finished with a hate filled glare.

Raynare took a step back in surprise, before she glared back and formed two light spears. She quickly threw them at Tatsumi, but he easily sidestepped them and continued his relentless advance.

How could this be happening? She was a fallen angel elite! After all the trouble she had went through to finally acquire the Twilight Healing, there was no way she was going to give it up just like that. He'd have to pry it from her cold dead hands.

"You don't have a right to use that Sacred Gear or whatever it's called." Tatsumi stated as he continued his advance towards the pyramid-like stance. "You didn't earn it and you don't deserve to even look at it." He chided harshly and hatefully. "You had to kill an innocent girl that literally did nothing wrong to satisfy your own selfish desires."

"Shut up! I don't care what you think!" Raynare threw another spear.

Tatsumi dodged it. "All of this was to satisfy a person that probably doesn't care if you live or die. Can you truly say that this was worth it?" He started to walk faster. "Don't answer that, as I already know the answer."

Tatsumi reached the stairs of the pyramid-like stand and started to walk up them, all while gracefully dodging Raynare's spears. "You fallen angels are really one trick ponies aren't you? Just throwing spears like a bunch of idiots. You're so hung up on that ability that you fail to develop other skills to make up for your obvious weakness."

The green eyed teen suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Raynare, causing the woman to take a another step back. "You're spears are only as effective as your ability to actually hit something with them. If you can't hit them, you're useless."

Before Raynare could do anything, Tatsumi thrusts his sword forward, impaling her right in the gut. She gasped as the cold steel pierced through her warm body and immense pain jolted through her system. Raynare glared up at the cold green eyes looking down at her with such indifference, such apathy that it made her stomach churn.

Tatsumi twisted the sword sharply before pulling it out. Blood splattered on the ground as Raynare stumbled back, holding her now bleeding gut.

"The other fallen angels are dead." Tatsumi stated coldly as he wiped the blood off of his sword. "Freed got away, but everyone else except for you and me are dead." He stated as he poised his sword for another strike. "Only one of us is going to walk out of here alive."

"It doesn't matter." Raynare wheezed as she raised her hands that each had a single ring on them. "I have Twilight Healing, no matter what wounds you inflict upon me, I'll just heal them up."

Out of nowhere, Tatsumi brutally swung his sword, slashing Raynare across the chest, causing the arrogant angel to fall to the ground. She coughed violently as this was even more painful than the last blow. This was sheer agony!

"Anything you say? Nothing I do to you will matter?" Tatsumi quirked an eyebrow before a sinister smirk grazed his face. "Would you like to test that theory?"

* * *

The upstairs part of the church was all quiet, not a single sound could be heard inside the building or outside the doors. All was silent, and that was never a good sign, especially in a place that had just witnessed several brutal displays violence in a short amount of time. No, this place will never be the same again, the blood that stained both its up and downstairs will never wash away or be forgotten like a memory.

Suddenly, a bright red light emanated just outside the front doors. A few moments later, a group of people walked into the church. The Occult Research Club had arrived and by the looks of it, they seemed to be ready for some action.

Kiba had his sword out, Koneko had her gloves on, Issei had called out his sacred gear and... well... actually that was it. All the other members looked normal besides the clear determination in their eyes.

Kiba walked in front of the group with Koneko not too far behind him. Kiba's sharp eyes and Koneko's keen senses would ensure that the group doesn't get ambushed by unexpected attacks.

"Interesting." Kiba stated as he looked around. "I don't sense any kind of killing intent." He said, turning to Rias. "No signs of Tatsumi-kun or Asia-san either."

Akeno looked closer at the surrounding walls and pillars. "But there are signs that heavy fighting had transpired here. There are various holes in the walls done by, from what I can guess, an exorcist's gun." She informed with a frown.

Issei both tensed and cringed. He knew that he should have followed Tatsumi here. He could have helped! He could have done something! He could have... he could have…. honestly... he didn't know what he could have done, but it would have been better than letting Tatsumi go here and save Asia all by himself. If only he was stronger, maybe he would have been able to make a difference. However, it seemed that Rias felt guilty about it as well.

_"Tatsumi-san."_

"...this smell." Koneko said, sniffing around before looking down to see a red liquid on the ground. She knelt down and put her fingers in it. "It's blood... human blood."

Everyone was visually unnerved by the news. Their first thought that this was Tatsumi's fate. That he had died just like Rias had said he would. Although, there was still a glimmer of hope that he might still be alive. His body wasn't laying around anywhere so that was a good sign.

"It's still too early to say to whom this blood belongs to." Akeno stated in effort raise everyone's morale. It's best to think positive in situations like this and hope that they are not too late.

"Alright, we'd probably have a better chance at finding Tatsumi if we all split up." Rias stated as she glanced at her peerage. "Issei and Kiba, you go and...!"

The sudden sounds of footsteps caught their attention. Everyone present looked to the side at the door behind the altar. All of them quickly assumed their offensive positions and waited anxiously as the steps got closer and louder. They were really hoping that it was Tatsumi making those steps, but precaution came first before such thoughts.

Ever so slowly the steps grew louder and louder and louder before the door started to creep open. Everyone started to sweat bullets as the door finally opened all the way to reveal...

Tatsumi.

Everyone gave a breath of relief before it was suddenly stolen from their bodies. That was when they noticed the appearance of their schoolmate. His clothing was heavily stained with blood. Koneko's nose scrunched up just from getting a whiff of the reek that was the cooper-like scent of blood. His once white shirt was now completely red and his jacket was spotted with irregular blood stains. Even his boots left bloody footprints as he walked. However, the most noticeable thing about the green eyed boy was the lifeless body of Asia he was carrying princess style in his arms.

"I... I was too slow." Tatsumi said, stopping and looking up to reveal a face stained with tears. "I didn't get here in time." He dropped to his knees and held Asia's body close to his own. "Raynare stole Asia's sacred gear, killing her as a result of it."

Tears welled up in Issei's eyes before he wiped them away, but they just kept coming. He looked over at Rias to find a rather sympathetic look on her face. She walked forward towards Tatsumi who glared at her, but didn't let go of Asia's body. Rias sighed when she knelt down so that she was at the eye level with the brown haired swordsman.

"Tatsumi-san," Rias cooed lightly. "I'm sorry. What you said about me was right." She stated, much to Tatsumi's surprise. "I haven't been acting like a leader should and I haven't been making the best choices." She gulped. "I guess... in a way... I'm the one that let Asia-san die."

Tatsumi didn't say anything he just looked away. Rias sighed, that was the kind of response she was expecting and she had a feeling that what she was about to offer wasn't going to make things any better. In fact, if any reaction at all, she expected Tatsumi to get angry at her. Not like she could blame him if he did get mad. He had every right to be angry with her.

"Tatsumi-san," Rias started. "if I told you that I wanted to revive Asia-san as a devil... how would you react to that? Would you let me?"

The green eyed teen looked up at her, his eyes blank and his expression placid and unreadable. He had one hell of a poker face now didn't he? Only a teenager and he had the look of a pro. It almost seemed like he didn't think anything of the offer. It didn't look like hated it, but at the same time, it didn't look like he loved it either.

After a few moments passed, which almost seemed like an eternity for everyone else, a decision was made. "Rias-senpai," Tatsumi said before getting to his feet and holding Asia's body out towards Rias. "please, reincarnate Asia-san as a devil." He calmly expressed with a short bow. "It may be selfish of me to decide something like this for her but..." He lowered his head sadly. "She deserves to have a life among the living. So... Senpai, you have my permission."

Rias was shocked. She didn't expect him to take her up on that offer. It was strange seeing Tatsumi this way. Usually, he was confident, fierce, and frighteningly aware for a teenager. However, the look of sadness and hurt in his eyes made it clear that he truly meant what he said. She closed her eyes and smiled a bit. She had royally messed up but… she was going to fix everything, starting now. She gestured for Issei to come over.

"Issei-kun, take Asia-san's body and find her sacred at the room bellow so we can start." Rias lightly ordered, earning a nod from Issei. She turned to Akeno. "Akeno, please take Tatsumi-san to the hospital."

"Of course, Bachou." Akeno responded with a smile.

After handing Asia's body over to Issei, Tatsumi cocked his head to the side and put a hand on his hip. "Hospital? I don't need to go the hospital." He said, surprising everyone. "This blood... it isn't mine. I'm not hurt at all."

His eyes sudden darkened. "You understand what happened, right?" He asked everyone. "I killed them. I killed those three fallen angels outside, I killed all of the exorcists in the bottom level of the church, and I killed Raynare." He spelled out coldly. "And I regret nothing. It was something that had to be done. "

Everyone was shocked by these words, especially Koneko who looked away sorrowfully. Seeing her friend like this was... hard. She didn't know what to think. While she was glad that he was safe, she didn't exactly like seeing him covered in blood, and that cold look in his eyes... This was not the Tatsumi she knew but... in her heart, she was truly glad that he made it out alive... even if it came to this.

Issei seemed to be affected the most by his words and by his appearance. He literally turned green and looked like he was about to vomit. Kiba, on the other hand, seemed to be affected the least. He stood silently next to Issei, but glared at Tatsumi intently. He was now more cautious of the brown haired swordsman than ever. Akeno and Rias were also green, but they quickly overcame it and returned to their normal selves.

Tatsumi then glanced at Issei. "You don't need to look for Asia's sacred gear as I have it right here." Tatsumi opened his palm to reveal a set of bloody rings that glowed softly green. "Return them, to the one who they rightfully belong to."

Rias nodded as she took the rings… feeling sad that someone else had to dirty his hands for her mistakes.

"I'm... tired." Tatsumi yawned. "I need to rest… from all of this..." He walked past Rias and stopped in front of Koneko who looked at him with a blank expression. "Sorry you had to see me like this, Koneko-chan. I promise that I'll make it up to you somehow." He said as he patted the white haired girl on the head.

The green eyed male ignored Kiba's glare and instead walked towards the door before stopping. "By the way, you should have been suspicious of me from the very beginning Rias-senpai, another mistake of your leadership." He pointed out. "You never questioned why and you never tried to figure out if I was lying to you."

Rias sighed and folded her arms. "I actually was suspicious you Tatsumi-san." She stated with a nod. "You're reactions to my attempts to reach out to you were borderline paranoid and you were clearly dangerous. But to be honest, I just didn't think you were actually capable of doing what you did here."

Tatsumi nodded. "I see." Then he sighed. "Before I go, Rias-senpai, allow me to make something perfectly clear." He turned around to reveal his cold green eyes. "If you _**ever **_mistreat Asia-san, Koneko-chan, or... Issei-san, I will kill you. No force on earth would protect you from me."

Rias flinched, but still managed to nod. "I understand. You have my word."

"I've entrusted you with the lives of people who are close to me… don't me second guess my decisions. Consider this the first step of us becoming closer, but we aren't by means friends." Tatsumi said, he then glanced over his shoulder and looked directly at Gremory girl. "Oh, and Rias?"

"Yes?" The said girl looked tensely at Tatsumi.

"See you at school tomorrow." The green eyed teen said with a light smile before walking out the door.

For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence after Tatsumi's departure. Rias was the first one to break it. "Issei, place Asia on one of the benches so I can begin her reincarnation."

The said perverted boy nodded and quickly did as he was ordered.

Rias then looked at one of the church's windows, the one above the alter, and sighed. "I promise, to not break the trust you placed in me… and I'll try my best to become a better leader as well." She glanced at her that held the two bloody rings, Asia's sacred gear. A small smile appeared on her face. "See you tomorrow, Tatsumi-san."

* * *

At school the next day, the atmosphere at Kuoh was definitely lighter than it had been in a while. There wasn't the feeling paranoia, suspicion, or annoyance. For the moment everything was fine, which was becoming a rare thing these days it seemed. Everyone was where they were supposed to be and everything was normal... or so it seemed.

Currently, Tatsumi was standing outside his next class, which was history, with an expected person standing in front of him: Asia. It seems that Rias did reincarnate the nun as a devil and somehow was able to transfer her to this school. But then again, it was something that Tatsumi expected as well. In fact, that was probably the only way for the red haired senpai to keep Asia close to her without breaking the rules... or resorting to underhanded tactics.

"Wait, wait, hold the phone." Tatsumi raised a hand. "You have a crush on Issei?" He asked lowly so no one would hear him say that.

The blond blushed and nodded. "Yes, I do." She admitted.

"Umm, okay... but why are you telling me this?" Tatsumi asked while scratching his cheek.

"Because you're my friend… and friends share things like that all the time, right?" Asia asked with a cute tilt of her head.

Tatsumi sighed deeply as he looked up at the ceiling. He really wished that fate would stop giving one troublesome situation after another. Why can't things in his life be simple for once!

* * *

_**A/N:**_

**Long chapters:**

All of the chapters of this story have been getting progressively longer. So, if that turns off you all...my bad. The next chapter maybe shorter but I can't be for sure or not until we actually wrote it. The quality of this chapter, in my opinion, is somewhat lower quality than the first two chapters before it.

If you see any mistakes tell me where they're at and I'll fix them.

**Familiar for Tatsumi:**

I'm still on the fence of if I should or not. I'll let you guys decide. Should Tatsumi get a familiar?

**No Asia in the Harem:**

Nope, not a fan of Asia to be honest. Also, she is used way too much and she and Issei make a better couple. Sorry if that annoys anyone but...she isn't going to be in the harem. It doesn't mean that Asia and Tatsumi can't be friends though.

**Tatsumi is having an easy time:**

Not for long. Remember who is next in terms of Arcs in DxD? I'll give you a hint, his name is Raiser. Despite his arrogance he is still quite a formidable opponent.

**Harem:**

Allow me to clear this up because I apparently caused some confusion. I said that there WILL NOT be a harem list UNTIL Tatsumi has met everyone in the harem so that will not be for a LONG time. Don't count on there being a list anytime soon. However, with Rossweisse revealed I will state that Tatsumi has already met another member but you'll have to figure out who it is. So, here is the closest thing to a harem list that you'll get for a while:

1: Rossweisse  
2: ?

The reason there is a harem in this story is because they work easier and because it serves a rather important function later. It will be a while but you'll see what I mean.

**Guest Reviews:**

I haven't been ignoring you guys:

_"Are you splitting the harem by anime"_

-Nope

_"Will Issei get stronger like tatsumi"_

-Yes, but he's lagging behind his canon self. You'll see in the next chapter.

_"Can you put more interaction between tatsumi and issei"_

-Done

**RWBY:**

I like that series but Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang are too difficult to work into this story. It is simply more trouble than it is worth. But, I'm likely going to do something with RWBY in the future.

**Logic:**

Hold onto your belt buckles folks about to give you some justification for the stuff that I do. In theory, I shouldn't have to since all of the questions should be answered in the story. However, I guess I'll explain why I did the things I did. Everything from this sentence from the last italic word is part of this little sub category. If you have no interest in my logic then I suggest you move on and don't read this:

_Why are the Fallen Angels and Freed so weak?_

_-_Because they are. All the Fallen Angels, the four in the early part of DxD, only threw spears and that as pretty much it combat wise. There is not much dimension there, so for Tatsumi they aren't hard to beat. The only real advantages they have over him is their ability to fly and their long range. Tatsumi is skilled and is very fast so if he was trying trying to kill them, he could do it. Freed is basically like a weaker, crazier version of Zank. Now, I believe Zank is only stronger because he had Spectator.

Why was Tatsumi so intent on saving Asia?

-Because she reminds him a lot of Schere since she is so kind. Also, she is the kind of person that would have suffered greatly in the AGK universe because those bastards in that verse love to target people, especially females, like Asia. I'll give you a quick refresher of how they can be. Tell me, readers of AGK, do you remember Air, Fal, and Luna? If you do, you know exactly what I'm getting at. Asia was completely innocent in that situation so of course he would try and protect her from such a fate.

_Why didn't Tatsumi didn't kill Freed when he had the chance?_

-I explained that already but if you another explanation than here it is. As I stated, it was hard for Tatsumi to go back to killing after not having to kill for such a long time. His life was peaceful and didn't have a lot of regrets about his past life. I do admit that Tatsumi would have an easier time going back to killing that a normal person would, but did that mean he wouldn't hesitate? Not necessarily. Tell me...if you were in his shoes could you do it without batting an eyelash?

_Why does it seem like Tatsumi hates Rias and Sona?  
_

-He doesn't but his past experiences, particularly the one with Aria, have left him with a distrust of people that are sketchy like those two. The way that Rias operates sets off alarms in Tatsumi's head because, from his point of view, she is acting like Aria and we all know how that ended. He has every right to distrust her and she has every right to chalk his paranoid behavior as being strange. On the topic of Sona, he is more cautious of her than Rias because she is Kaichou (Student Council President) and can _**actually **_make things harder for him at school. However, he is more tolerant of Sona than Rias because Sona was straight with him than Rias was.

_If Tatsumi is so suspicious of Rias why does he let Koneko be around her?"_

-Realistically speaking...what is he going to do? Is he going to slap her on the wrist and say "No don't do that"? He can't do that and he knows he can't since it won't work. Why would he try? There is no logic in trying to keep her from them if he can't monitor her every move or keep tabs on her every moment of the day. Besides, if you do that to your friend...can you really be called their friend?

_Why does Tatsumi seem to be two-faced when it comes to Issei?_

-Issei is the person that Tatsumi trusts the second most, after Koneko, but he doesn't consider him a friend either. I'd say they're relationship, at this point, is more like "I'll help you if you help me" sort of thing. He is getting more comfortable around Issei but they still aren't close to being friends. If you still don't get what I mean...picture them as the veteran (Tatsumi) who gets the rookie (Issei) as his partner.

_Why was Tatsumi more aggressive in his battle with Freed and the Fallen Angels this time around?_

-He was done hesitating. He resolved himself and he didn't hesitate because now he was not holding back. Unlike before, his intent to kill them was 100% genuine. That is why he was dominating in both battles.

_What happened to Raynare?  
_

-What do you think happened to her?

_Why a grappling hook?_

-It is actually an idea that Tatsumi would come up with. He was probably channeling Rabac there, notice how he used wire instead of rope? It would also make sense to make one since, besides jumping off of things, is Tatsumi's best bet to get a Fallen Angel while they're in the air. Also, that is the thing that he left Asia with Issei to go make.

_Why is Tatsumi so Paranoid/Smart/Aware?_

-First of all he has at least 30 years of experience counting his rebirth and new life. He also has the memories of his old life and in a world that he didn't original start in, of course he is going to be paranoid and aware. He is going to project past life experiences onto the new life he has when it comes down to it. His intelligence also steams from this as well since, as I said before, he has 30+ years of experience due to his past life. Plus, this is also "End Game" Tatsumi so he isn't as blind or naive as he was, he is way more mature and put together, so it shouldn't be too hard to believe that he'd be smarter, more aware, and possibly paranoid.

_Why is there a harem?_

-In DxD they're just easier to write and they flow better with the story.

_Why doesn't Tatsumi tell people about his past life?_

-No one would believe him. Think about it...you're asking people to believe that you were born into a word with devils, fallen angels, and angels from a world with a corrupt empire, Teigu, and danger beasts. Yeah...you wouldn't sound crazy at all.


	4. Chapter 4

**_AN at the bottom_**

* * *

_Issei Hyodou looked around, trying to find anything in the darkness that surrounded him, but his search was in vain. As far as he could see there was nothing but darkness and emptiness around him. He could endlessly tread in any direction and end up nowhere, so there was nothing he could do but just stand where he was. Although, Issei could tell that he was dreaming, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. However, it was a little strange. Usually his dreams were filled with boobs and other ecchi things, not ever-lasting soul-sucking darkness._

_"Well, I have feeling that something bad is about to happen." Issei pointed out, noting the shiver that went down his spine just before he said that._

_"Is...Issei-kun." A weak and pained voice cried._

_The perverted boy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he heard that voice. He slowly looked over his shoulder and was horrified to see his ex-girlfriend and killer, Yuma._

_"Yu..." Issei stopped himself before narrowing his eyes, "Raynare."_

_"Please... help me." Raynare said, using the voice she had when she was disguised as Yuma. She was even dressed the same way. "It's coming."_

_Issei arched an eyebrow before he started to hear what sounded like footsteps. However, these weren't the typical footsteps of a human. No, they were loud and big, like some kind of gargantuan animal… or Godzilla._

_A single step would resonate and shake the ground like a small earthquake before stopping. Relief would only be seconds long before another footstep did an encore of the first._

_Raynare's face drained of color as the steps got so loud that it was almost deafening. "Too late... it's here." She muttered before she turned around and walked into the darkness, disappearing nearly instantly._

_The footsteps continued and just grew louder and louder and louder. They were also quicker now. The amount of time between each step had been reduced to mere milliseconds._

_Then… they stopped._

_Silence once again returned._

_"Hello?" Issei foolishly called into the darkness. He knew what was going to happen. He had seen enough horror movies to know where this was going and just how fast it was going to go there. "Hello?"_

_There was no reply, not even a footstep._

_"Hello?"_

_Still no reply._

_"Hell..!"_

_Suddenly, a terrifying roar ripped through the air like a violent song, filling the seemingly endless black plane with its malice filled waves. The sheer force of the roar knocked Issei to his feet and nearly shattered his ear drums. The roar itself was the most bestial and most savage sound that Issei had ever heard. It was almost like the sound of nightmares, a complete and utter macabre symphony._

_Fearfully, Issei backed away the best he could just as a giant claw appeared out of the darkness and crashed down on him, and…._

"AAHH!"

Issei shot up in his bed and looked around frantically. His body was drenched in sweat and his heart was racing a million beats a minute. What just happened? Well, to begin with Raynare showed up and begged him to help him, and then came those loud footsteps. Then... then there was that roar and the huge claw. After going over what he just experienced, Issei realized that he really had no clue what just happened.

"What was that thing?" Issei questioned placing a hand on his sweat drenched brow.

_**"A monster." **_A deep, draconian voice answered.

"Oh." Issei nodded before looking around frantically. "Who said that!?"

_**"I did."**_

The perverted boy looked down at his "special arm", the one that held his Sacred Gear, and was surprised to see that his Sacred Gear had manifested itself. But, it looked different.

It looked like a claw now and a spiky one at that. In Issei's opinion, it looked a lot like the arm of that thing from his dream. Well, it was of a different color and it didn't have hair on it like the other arm did, but the shape was the same.

_**"Do you understand now?"**_

"ARGH!" Issei flung his around in the air in a comical manner. "My arm is talking to me!"

A deep sigh was the response. _**"I was kind of expecting a reaction like**_** this."** The voice admitted, not really surprised by the boy's over-the-top response._ ** "He's surprisingly easy to startle for someone who was killed by a Fallen Angel."**_

"AARGH!"

_**"Calm down." **_The speaker said in a passive voice. _**"Take deep breaths, collect your thoughts and I'll explain everything."**_

Surprisingly, Issei took the voice's advice and took deep, soothing breaths and collected his thoughts. After a few minutes of breathing exercises, Issei was much calmer than he was before. However, despite the current calm expression on his face, he was still pretty freaked out that his arm had started talking to him. Although, the promise of everything being explained was pretty appealing.

_**"Now that you've calmed down, we'll start over." **_The voice stated with an even tone, devoid of any emotion. _**"First of all, do you know who I am?"**_

"Um... you're my arm?" Issei deadpanned.

The voice sighed deeply again. **"****No,"** One could literally feel the exasperation in that one word. _** "I am Ddraig, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons!" **_The voice introduced itself. _**"And you are the holder of the Sacred Gear I was sealed within."**_

Issei arched an eyebrow. "Sealed?"

_**"Aye, tis a long story though." **_Ddraig said with a hint of nostalgia. _**"To put it in simplest terms, me and my rival, Albion, were fighting and destroying everything in our paths and... well... we attacked everyone that tried to stop us. Then we were sealed into Sacred Gear by God and that was the end of that."**_

The perverted boy cringed at that bit of information. That sounded terrifying.

"So you've been in my arm the whole time?" The brown haired boy asked.

_**"Aye." **_Ddraig responded lowly. _**"But I wasn't awake, I was still sleeping... until recently."**_

"What do you mean?"

Ddraig went silent for a moment before he spoke again, his voice hard and serious. _**"I was hibernating, of sorts. But, I was woken up... by the same force that attacked you with that dream."**_

Issei gulped. "Attacked?"

_**"Aye, attacked." **_Ddraig answered before sighing. _**"A weak attack, but an attack all the same." **_He pointed out. _**"The Faceless One, is the one that attacked you. It was the beast that devoured the Fallen Angel and crushed you in that dream."**_

"The Faceless One? What is that?" Issei asked while trembling a bit from remembering his dream. "Wait, devoured?"

_**"I don't know." **_Ddraig responded with a low tone. _**"But I feel it. The amount of primal instinct and power its exhuming is… disturbing." **_He continued, his voice tensing up. _**"No being I've ever come across has ever had this type of instinct or power. It's a monster without face, therefore it is the Faceless One."**_

"Why did it attack?" Issei quickly asked.

_**"I don't know."**_ The powerful dragon answered with a sigh again.

"Then, why was..."

_**"I DON'T KNOW!" **_Ddraig literally roared. _**"All I know is that it is close and that's it. So I advise you to be on your guard and watch your back all the time, boy!"**_

With that said the sacred gear on Issei's arm dispersed and Ddraig's voice disappeared into silence, leaving the brown haired boy alone in his room. As Issei sat up on his bed, he found that his heart was still racing and this he was still sweating profusely. There was even pool of sweat building up right where he was sitting. The salty pool stuck his bed sheets to his skin, leaving a cool yet sticky feeling behind.

"Dammit... I guess I won't be sleeping tonight."

* * *

No sun could be seen behind the grey veil of clouds that polluted the morning sky with their dreadful grey forms. They hung like a bad omen over the normally sunny and upbeat town. However, it seemed that those sunny days where merely a distant memory as the grey mass just seemed to stretch for hours. With clouds this grey it was only a matter of time before it started to rain. This too would come to pass.

On the ground, Issei looked up at the grey sky as he approached the Kuoh Academy gates, a tired frown on his face. The forecast yesterday said that today would be sunny but it seemed to be a case of... human error. This was definitely not a sunny day.

_"This is weird." _Issei thought, not really paying attention to what was around him. _"The sky was fine just a minute ago. How did it change so quickly?"_

At that moment Issei felt someone lightly push him back. It wasn't strong enough to knock him off his feet or push him back a distance. It was… gentle, but it definitely got his attention.

He looked up to see Tatsumi standing there with a bored yet neutral look on his face. The green eyed teen was obviously the one that pushed him back, probably to prevent Issei from walking into him. Tatsumi had the bass case on his back that Issei was accustomed to seeing the green eyed teen with. Speaking of which, how did he carry it around all the time? The case and bass had to be heavy, and apparently there was a sword in there too.

"What's up?" Tatsumi asked him with the same expression.

"A-ah, nothing." Issei answered while stuttering a bit.

"Well, that's a lie." The former assassin stated as a fact.

The green eyed teen arched an eyebrow before leaning forward so he was closer to Issei. The perverted boy glanced away and took a step back. "W-what is it?"

"You're mighty jumpy for no reason, Issei." Tatsumi pointed out, the suspicion clear in his voice. "It is never a good sign whenever someone is jumpy for no reason. It often means they've got something to hide." The brown haired boy stated while narrowing his eyes. "But I'll let it go this time."

"O-oh really?" Issei said, thankful that he won't have to talk about that scary dream he had.

Tatsumi smirked. "Only because you're such an obvious liar."

Issei hung his head as an aura of despair loomed over him. "You're too cruel Tatsumi-san."

The green eyed swordsman laughed lowly before patting Issei on the back in a comforting manner. To an end, this seemed to comfort the perverted boy but it wasn't long before Tatsumi stopped.

"Tatsumi-san."

Said boy turned around to see Tsubaki Shinra, the vice-president of the student council standing there. She wore the typical apathetic face she had on all the time and was as attract...composed as normal. Although, her cheeks were looking a little pink for some reason or another, but other than that she seemed to be the same old senpai.

"Yes, Tsubaki-senpai?" Tatsumi responded with an arched eyebrow.

"Kaichou would like to see you." Tsubaki stated in her usual monotone. "Now."

Tatsumi arched both of his eyebrows in confusion. What could Sona possibly want now? Sure, it had been a while since they've spoken – maybe a week or so, basically not since Tatsumi killed those fallen angels and exorcists. He could think of a number of things that she would want but none of them where things that she would possibly need or want this instant.

"Alright." Tatsumi nodded.

"Follow me." The vice president motioned with her hand to follow her.

* * *

And here it was, everything had come to a circle, or at the very least history was repeating itself. Once again, Tatsumi was following Tsubaki to Sona for an unknown purpose. Oh how he hoped that this wasn't going to become a recurring habit. It wasn't that he hated Sona but at rare times they do meet, she often discretely dropped hints that she wanted him to join her peerage. It also didn't help that he felt like he was visiting the principal's or the boss's office instead of the student council.

_"Deja vu."_

* * *

The council room hadn't changed a bit since Tatsumi was here last. The chair that he sat in was still there, the president's seat was still on the higher level in front of said chair, and the seats of the other council members were still there. In contrast to last time, the only ones present were Tatsumi, Sona, and Tsubaki, who, like last time, had taken a standing position by the door rather than sitting.

On the other hand, Tatsumi and Sona were sitting in the same positions as last time: Tatsumi in the big examination chair and Sona in her special president's seat.

"Before I start this allow me to clear up any misunderstanding that you may have." Sona said, pushing up her glasses and clearing her throat. "You're not in any trouble, and whatever is discussed here, stays here. I will not speak a word of it to Rias or anyone else for that matter."

Tatsumi leaned back in his chair and gave Sona look that she had never seen the green eyed male make: complete apathy. There was no emotion at all, not a glare, not a frown, not a smile, there was just… nothing. It reminded Sona of a blank canvas but one where her words would dictate what colors were splattered on it. She just hoped that it didn't end up being red.

"Go on." Tatsumi said, without even blinking.

Unshaken, Sona opened a drawer and took out a folder before placing it on the table. Tatsumi arched an eyebrow at what he saw. In it were pictures of the fallen angels and the exorcists he had killed. Each picture was labeled by race, gender, and what appeared to be what caused the killing blow. The pictures even had the estimated time that they had been killed. Man, Sona sure was detailed wasn't she?

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes when he noticed the photos of Raynare's body. He had killed her in a single swift blow to her neck. A blow that cleanly severed both her internal and external jugular vein, resulting in a swift death. Sure he had cut her before then, but this blow quickly ended her life. Even though he hated her, torture wasn't the way to go. It went against the beliefs of Night Raid, killing swiftly and effectively, that was Night Raid's way. More importantly, he didn't like to kill either. But he knew that it had to be done at times, no matter how much he hated it.

"I take it that you remember these well." Sona said rhetorically. She herself would never forget those pictures, that was for sure.

Tatsumi sighed and nodded before holding up one of the pictures. "It isn't something that I'm proud of but I remember it." He said before carefully placing the photo back into the folder. "What about it?"

Sona pushed up her glasses. "Well, me and my peerage went through the effort of cleaning up the bodies you left." She said, surprising Tatsumi. She closed her eyes and continued. "We took these pictures because we noticed something… strange about the bodies."

The green eyed male tensed slightly but not enough for Sona to see any change. "What do you mean?" He asked while maintaining an even expression on his face.

The black haired president slid one of the photos in front of Tatsumi, who leaned over slightly to get a look at it. This photo was of the blonde female fallen angel. He didn't really know her name but he was sure that her comrades did. The picture showed the deep cut that Tatsumi had inflicted on her waist along with lesser cuts placed all over her body.

"This one caught my eye the moment I saw it." Sona said, gesturing to the photo. "It isn't common knowledge that waist is a fatal spot." She pointed out, placing her hand on her cheek. "However, that isn't what caught my eye." She put a finger on the cut itself. "What I noticed was the precision of this cut, it was almost surgical. If I had go guess, this fallen angel died nearly instantly from this wound."

"Oh really?" Was the smartest answer Tatsumi could come up with. While his face presented a blank canvas, the inside of him was a sea of emotion. Although, he really had no reason to fear anything since Sona couldn't have figured out he was from a different world right… right?

"No comment?" Sona inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Tatsumi folded his arms, leaned back in his chair, and arched an eyebrow himself. "Nope."

"That's fine." Sona said, not really meaning it. "Now about this." She replaced the picture of the blonde fallen angel with the picture of the male one. Tatsumi didn't know his name either or, at the very least, he didn't remember it.

"Um... I don't see anything strange with this one." The green eye male lied coyly. Good thing he was decent at lying or else Sona would have...

Sona shook her head. "It's the same case as the last one." She said before placing a finger over the angel's injury, which was the heart in this case. "A stab to the dead center of the heart." Her finger tapped the injury on the angel. "Rias told me that you were good, but these are marks only a trained killer could make. The accuracy is frightening to say the least."

And there it was, the word "killer." Tatsumi knew that it was coming, from the moment she pulled out those pictures he knew that word was going to be used. He wasn't quite sure when, but it was going to happen. However, he couldn't let that word throw him off.

"Surely you're not implying that I'm a trained killer." The green eyed male responded, knowing full well that wasn't the truth. The irony in this situation was hilarious.

At first, Sona didn't say anything and just stared at the green eyes male intently. Tatsumi could tell that she was waiting for him to slip up, or at least was looking for some sort of sign of untruthfulness. But, Tatsumi remained steadfast and his face remained as blank and empty as the void itself. If she was going to jump to conclusions, she could do so on her own, Tatsumi wouldn't give her anything that would compromise his position.

Sona sighed after what seemed like decades of silence. "I never said that Tatsumi-san." She responded anticlimactically. "All I am stating is what the evidence would suggest. An inference based on observations, if you will."

"But no inference is true until it becomes a fact." The green eyed swordsman responded slyly.

"How right you are." Sona nodded before knitting her fingers together and resting her head on her hands. "However, I would like to add that the several of the exorcists had their major arteries severed." She commented, her violet eyes focusing on Tatsumi's green ones. "And some of them had more arteries severed then the others."

_"Oh god she's still not stopping." _Tatsumi grimaced mentally. Even though he could still keep a straight face, he was starting to feel the pressure. But still! This was nothing that he couldn't handle.

"Take this one for example." Sona picked up the next picture and placed it down in front the brown haired swordsman.

This picture was a change of pace from the last two. Instead of a fallen angel, this photo showed an exorcist who had been sliced near the neck area and near the waist. Tatsumi remembered dealing this blow, this was the first exorcist that he killed when he went to confront Raynare. This was the first human life that he had taken since he entered this world. It, however, was just one in the long line of many to come. But, you always remember your first kill.

Sona narrowed her eyes slightly as she continued to stare into Tatusmi's green orbs. "You are familiar with the subclavian and lliac arteries?"

"No." Was the teen's quick and straight answer.

Violet eyes narrowed even more. "How strange since both were targeted in this man's body with surgical precision." She pointed out. "If I had to guess this man only took two breaths before he died of exsanguination; blood loss great enough to cause death."

The green eyed teen waved her off as if she didn't say what she did. "I have an explanation for that Kaichou." He said, making Sona arch an eyebrow. "My aunt is a former nurse so she taught me where all the vital points of the body were." He lied colorfully.

Sona narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "So you lied to me about not knowing what those arteries then."

"Yep." The green eyed male admitted with a shameless nod. "In my defense, you were basically asking me if I was a killer. How did you expect me to response? Did you expect me to admit to that?" He spelled out.

The violet eyed president opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. "Good point." She replied sheepishly… well as sheepishly as she could while maintaining her stony gaze. "But, why would you aim for these spots if you knew they were lethal?"

"To kill them of course." Tatsumi stated with such an even tone that Sona nearly retched. The look on the brown haired male's eye was cold and dark, almost like the water of a swamp. "I don't like to kill." He stated, "But, that doesn't mean that I won't do it if it means protecting those close to me."

The room went silent at that declaration as Sona stared at Tatsumi with a mix of curiosity and fear. She turned her attention to Tsubaki, who hadn't moved from her spot at the back of the room, and tried to make out the vice-president's expression but because of the lightning in the room, she couldn't see it properly. Sona then turned her back to Tatsumi who still had the same expression on his face as before.

Noticing that Sona wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, Tatsumi continued. "Wouldn't you do the same Kaichou?" He inquired, making the student council president's eyes widen slightly. "If it meant saving someone precious to you… would you kill to protect them?"

Sona stared at Tatsumi, seemingly in thought of the question asked of her. After what seemed like hours, she shook her head. "It's easy to say something, and it is another to actually do it."

"How right you are." Tatsumi gave a small yet grim smile. "Can I go now?"

The violet eyed president sighed. "Yes." She said in exasperation. "But before you go I have to say, despite the efficiently, I was impressed that you were able to combat a small army of exorcists and four fallen angels without getting injured."

Tatsumi blinked in surprise. "Ah… thank you?"

"You would make a fantastic knight." Sona commented honestly. "Are you sure that you wouldn't like to join my peerage?"

The green eyed male shook his head and stood up. "Sorry Kaichou, but like I said before." He smiled earnestly. "I came into this world as a human, I can't imagine leaving it as something else."

The bespectacled president smiled lightly. "If you ever change your mind, I'll be here."

With that, Tatsumi nodded before standing and hastily leaving the room. Once he was gone, Sona leaned back in her chair, pinched the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, and inhaled sharply. She definitely needed an aspirin after this.

"He was lying."

Sona nodded and looked up to see Tsubaki, her queen, standing at the other side of the desk. "He's always lied to us."

"But?" The vice president inquired with a raised eyebrow. "You don't seem to have a problem with that."

"Hm." Sona looked down at the pictures from the crime scene. "Even though he is lying to us, I can tell that he is a kindred soul." She said earnestly. "He meant what he said about not liking to kill." She stated as Tsubaki listened silently. "Besides, we all have our secrets."

Tsubaki stared at Sona for a few seconds before speaking up again. "So what now?"

The violet eyed president sighed and leaned back in her chair. To be honest, she had thinking about this for a long time. There was simply something about the brown haired boy that just seemed… off. Ever since the first time they met, Sona had a suspicious feeling about Tatsumi. Call it intuition but there was something not quite right.

"I see no reason for us to antagonize him or pry him for information." Sona sighed. "Besides, trying to do any of those things would only make him shut us out. He's a nice guy from what I gather." She said before smirking lightly. "You should know something about that right? Isn't that why you like him?"

Tsubaki looked away. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about." She answered quickly, but the blush on her face betrayed her words. "I-I'm going to go back to go to class." She said and proceeded to leave the room.

Sona sighed and looked up at the ceiling. _"What other interesting things will you show us, Tatsumi-san?"_

* * *

Issei's eyebrow twitched. He was so sick of this situation that he could puke on the floor at moment at this rate. Why was that you ask? Why was he filled with such teenage hate and spite? Well the answer is quite simple really. It was because of the blonde haired bastard sitting on the couch! No, not Kiba! Kiba was standing next to him! It was the other blonde haired bastard! The one that showed up out of nowhere with his own harem! God, life was so unfair!

Currently, Issei was standing behind the couch, opposite of that blonde bastard with Asia, Koneko, and Kiba standing in a line next to him. Rias was sitting at her desk with an extremely displeased look on her face. Akeno was standing by the desk, her usual smile gracing her face but... it was obvious that she wasn't quite happy either.

And then there was the blonde haired bastard sitting on the couch opposite of Issei and the others. The bastard had the look of a stereotypical playboy: the dashing good looks, the blonde hair, the dark blue eyes and the muscular frame. How disgusting. Seriously, who did this guy this he was? Anyways, this bastard also wore the douche bag uniform: a burgundy blazer, matching pants, a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the top to reveal a bit of his toned chest, and black dress shoes. Essentially a tool in every meaning of the word.

Behind the blonde bastard was an assortment of women of different flavors: maids, cat girls, twins, a miko and the list just went on! Damn! The pretty boys had all the luck!

_"Who the hell does this bastard think he is? Showing up with his own harem and shit! God, why are these guys alway so lucky?" _Issei scornfully combed over in his mind, unaware that a glare was spreading across his face. His gaze turned to Rias, who had yet to say anything. _"Why hasn't Bachou said anything?"_

Issei snapped out of his daze and looked to the side to see Asia looking at him with large curious eyes. "Something the matter, Issei-kun?"

He smiled and patted her on the head. "It-it's nothing." The perverted boy responded with a nervous laugh before feeling someone glare at his back. He looked over his shoulder to see Koneko giving him a death glare.

"...stupid pervert." She said coldly.

Issei shuttered. _"How did she know what I was thinking!?"_

"You know, I was expecting a much better welcome than this." The blonde bastard said rather smugly and with a smirk directed at Rias. "Is this how you greet your guests?" He asked in an insulted fashion.

Everyone, including Raiser's group, turned to look at Rias. The red haired Bachou's eyes were closed and her arms were folded. She had been like that ever since Issei walked through the door. He didn't know if something happened beforehand or if there was something behind this. What he _did _know was that Bachou definitely did not like this blonde haired bastard.

"Pardon my rudeness." Rias said, without opening her eyes. "I was under the impression that Grayfia would be here to observe." She continued. "Until she arrives, I will not allow you to roam in my territory, Raiser."

The blonde bastard, now identified as Raiser, laughed. "Come on now, we're not children Rias." He said smugly. "We don't need a babysitter to watch over us."

"When Grayfia arrives then we'll continue but before then I will not budge." Rias countered, opening her eyes just enough to see a sliver of blue-green orbs. "You don't seem to realize that you're in Gremory territory. You entered it unscheduled and without permission." She said, making Raiser frown in irritation. "I can send you away just as easily as I can invite you in."

Raiser narrowed his eyes dangerously at that last statement, but a few moments later he smirked and just laughed, like all of Rias words were mere jokes. "Oh fine, fine we'll wait for the maid." He said while laying his head back on the couch.

As if rehearsed, there was a sudden knocking on the door.

"Come in." Akeno answered politely.

The door opened to reveal Tatsumi, who had his bass case strapped on his back like always. The brown hared bass player's sudden visitation was strange though, usually the brown haired 2nd year would either go home or to the music club after school was over. It was past afternoon and Tatsumi almost never comes to the Occult Research Club. And, judging by Rias's expression, now wasn't the time for an unexpected visit.

"Tatsumi-san, why are you here?" Rias asked, her voice edgy.

Said male blinked before glancing over at Raiser and his peerage for a moment. "I was simply bored and just thought I'd stop by." He answered with a shameless shrug. "Although, it seems that I've come at a bad time." He looked at Raiser and his group.

Raiser arched an eyebrow at the unexpected visitor and looked at Rias. "Who is this? Another servant of yours?" He said before smirking. "Another lowly pawn."

Issei's eyebrow twitched at that last remark. He hated this guy even more now. However Tatsumi, the one who the insult had been directed to, didn't seem to be affected by it and actually appeared to be... bored. His eyes were half-lidded and he honestly looked like he couldn't care less what this blonde asshole said to him. In fact, the green eyed teen didn't even give Raiser a recognizing glance.

Rias glared at Raiser for his rudeness. "He's not my servant. He's a human." She stated with an approving nod from Tatsumi. "He's a friend of mine."

"A human?" Raiser looked astonished before scoffing. "You're lucky that I'm allowing you to be in my sight." He said to Tatsumi.

The green eyed bass player rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Rias," He jabbed a thumb at Raiser. "who is this jerk?"

Rias sighed. "He is Raiser Phenex"

Tatsumi put his hands in his pockets. "Phenex huh? So he is one of the 72 Pillars too."

"Yes, that is correct." Rias answered patiently.

"Is he a friend of yours?" The green eyed male inquired.

"Hardly." The red haired devil answered rather quickly with a scoff.

"Not surprised." Tatsumi muttered to himself.

That wasn't too hard to figure out. The fact that she glared at this Phenex person nearly every opportunity she got, and the taunting smirks she received in return cemented that. Not like Tatsumi could have blamed her though. He didn't like this guy either, but while Raiser's attitude was deplorable, it was nothing compared to the scum that invested Tatsumi's old world. Funny, it seemed that the humans were more devilish and dark in nature than the actual devils. What a delicious irony.

"Don't use my name so casually scum." Raiser snapped savagely. "You're lucky that I'm even allowing you do be on my presence, let alone use my name."

The green eyed male rolled his eyes. "You're not just a tool are you? No, you're the whole toolbox."

That comment earned him several glares from Raiser's groups and a few snickers form Issei. Raiser shot a glare Issei's way before refocusing his undivided attention back on Tatsumi. The blonde devil studied the lowly human in front of him. He was short, he was built like a stick, and reminded Raiser of a raccoon for some reason. How dare this raccoon boy talk to him in such a manner.

"Hey!" Tatsumi turned to see two green haired girls wearing... PE uniforms, glaring at him. "Raiser-sama is a high-class and deserves proper respect. You can't talk to him like that!"

The green eyed teen scoffed. "Just did. Also, respect is earned, not demanded."

It seemed the twins didn't take too kindly to Tatsumi's comments. They were gritting their teeth and their hands were clenched into fists. But, Tatsumi didn't care about these threatening gestures. He highly doubted that they could just attack him. After all, Devils did have rules and standards, and causing trouble in another devil's territory was a pretty big offense. At least... that is what Sona told him.

"Calm yourselves Ill, Nel." A blonde girl dressed in pink spoke up from her position next to Raiser. She was obviously related to him in someway. "Don't let him rattle you." She said before hoping off the couch and walking over to Tatsumi.

Arching an eyebrow, the brown haired eyed this... little girl curiously. She really was little, standing a good height under Tatsumi. She has blonde hair tied into drill-like shapes, which looked kind of unusual to Tatsumi. The level of physics involved in getting them to stay that shape must have been immense... or maybe it was just hairspray. Anyways, the girl also had blue eyes and wore a frilly pink dress that looked like a pink frilly monster threw up on it. To sum it up, this girl looked like the younger, female version of that blonde bastard wearing a pink frilly piece of junk.

"You're quite brave." The girl commented as she eyed Tatsumi up and down. "You don't look like much but you certainly are brave."

Tatsumi deadpanned. _"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment? I can't tell."_

"Ahem," The girl coughed into her hand. "aren't you going to say thank you? I just complimented you."

The green eyed teen put a hand on his hip and made the biggest arch with his eyebrow he could muster. "So that was a compliment." He responded, to which the girl huffed and went back to her position on the couch.

"Don't worry your pretty head about him, Ravel." Raiser said, placing a hand on the returning girl's head and turning to glare at Tatsumi. "It seems that Rias failed to teach you manners." He pointed out with a disappointed sigh.

Said redhead narrowed her eyes from her position behind her desk. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't teach this scum who his betters are." The blonde chided harshly.

Tatsumi yawned. "You're my better? Why? Because you're a devil? Because you're from the 72 Pillars?" He assumed sharply, shocking a few members of Raiser's peerage. "You may be my better from whatever society you came from, but up here… up here we're equal."

"Don't you dare compare me to a scum like yourself." Raiser angrily retorted.

"You talk a lot don't you?" Tatsumi countered, making Rias and the more seasoned members of her peerage grimace. "If you've got a problem with me then just say it already." He said defiantly.

Raiser glared even more harshly at the brown haired boy before his smirk suddenly returned. "Please, I'm not going to waste my effort on a weakling like you." He said arrogantly before placing his hand on one his "servants," a blue haired girl with a wooden pole. "I bet he couldn't even beat Mira right here." He said with a laugh. "And Mira is the weakest member of my peerage."

Everyone in Rias's peerage looked at Tatsumi curiously. The brown haired swordsman's expression was completely blank and didn't show an ounce of emotion: no fear, no anger, there was nothing. If only they knew this was the second time today that he had worn this face.

"Care to prove it?" Came the challenge from Tatsumi, shocking both Raiser and Rias.

"Tatsumi-san," Rias began to say.

"Rias," Tatsumi interjected without looking at her. "if you don't stand up to bullies, then they'll just walk all over you."

"Is that a challenge?" Raiser said mockingly.

"Yeah." Was Tatsumi calm answer.

"Alright then.'" The blonde Phenex smirked. "Make his day Mira."

Without a second's hesitation, Mira quickly advanced towards Tatsumi, covering the distance between them almost instantly. Despite the speed of his opponent, Tatsumi stood his ground and remained as calm and composed as ever. Then... it happened.

"Wha..?" Mira's eyes widened when she suddenly found herself falling towards the ground. There was a sharp pain in her cheek and her staff ripped from her hands. Her light brown orbs looked up to see a pair of indifferent green ones staring down at her. Tatsumi... had punched her… and hard at that.

_"He... hit me." _Were the thoughts of the blue haired girl.

Mira hit the ground hard and coughed a bit. Despite his small size, it seemed the brown haired swordsman was a lot stronger than he looked. Heh, it's kind of ironic the more she thought about it. She was small and strong as well.

"Sorry if I hit you too hard." Mira looked up to see a hand reaching towards her. "Here, let me help you up."

Mira blinked and eyed the hand curiously before taking it. Forgive her if she was being suspicious, but it wasn't everyday that the person who got floored hard was being helped up by the very same person that floored them. It just wasn't natural.

"So, are you okay?" Tatsumi asked the small girl.

"I-I'm fine." Mira said, turning away and hurrying back to her group.

Tatsumi deadpanned. _"I've never seen someone blush after getting hit like that before." _Unconsciously, the green eyed male found his head slowly turning to Akeno, who just smiled pleasantly at him. _"Hmm...I've got the funniest feeling."_

At that moment, a red magic circle and a faint red light appeared near the clubroom door. A few seconds later a newcomer was left standing where the circle had been. The newcomer was a beautiful young woman that had a _chill _in the aura around her. The woman was the second tallest person in the room. She had silver hair with two braids and focused silver eyes. She was wearing a blue maid's outfit complete with the headdress.

_"Okay then... this isn't something you see everyday." _Tatsumi thought right as the newcomer's eyes passed over him. Her gaze was cold and focused, it reminded him a bit of Akame but not just quite. It wasn't the same kind of focus that Akame had, it was a bit different but Tatsumi couldn't put his finger on how.

The newcomer bowed. "Pardon my lateness Ojou-sama." She said. "I was called away on urgent business suddenly and had no choice but to comply." She finished politely.

For the first time since Raiser entered the building, Rias smiled. "That's fine Grayfia." She replied with equal politeness. "Besides, we wouldn't even consider starting this meeting without you." She said before shooting a glare at Raiser.

"Once again, my apologies." Grayfia said before glancing at Tatsumi. "Pardon me Ojou-sama, but who is this boy?" She asked, tilting her head to gesture towards Tatsumi.

"He's a friend of mine." Rias answered. "His name is Tatsumi."

Grayfia turned to the brown haired boy and bowed. "Pleasure to meet you." She said before straightening up again. "Am I to assume that you will be present during this meeting?" She finished.

"What exactly is this meeting about?" Tatsumi raised his hand and wore a coy expression. "If you don't mind me asking."

"The marriage between Ojou-sama and Raiser-sama of course." Grayfia elaborated.

One could practically hear the sound of Issei's jaw hitting the ground. The perverted boy's reaction was by far the most extreme since Kiba and Koneko just looked away, Akeno frowned, and Asia still looked confused by the whole matter. Tatsumi probably had the smartest reaction ever seen by someone who was still new to this whole "your friend and her friends have been devils all along" thing. Now that he thought about it... it really sounded like a movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

"Huh? What? Huh?" Was the smartest reaction Tatsumi could think of before before quickly recovering. "Wait, Rias is getting married to that toolbox?!" He almost shouted while pointing at Raiser.

Grayfia's eyes narrowed slightly. Tatsumi could tell that she didn't like that "toolbox" comment. Although, it didn't seem to bother her too much. But, the comment did bother members of Raiser's peerage.

"There he goes again." The brown haired maid said to the purple haired one. "Saying what he wants."

"How annoying." The purple maid commented.

The side comments were ignored as Grayia answered Tatsumi's question.

"Yes, that is correct." The grey haired maid said with a small nod before narrowing her eyes sharply. "But, please refrain from talking in such a manner about Ojou-sama or Raiser-sama." She then shot the blonde haired devil with the same look. "And you will do best to not do anything that will land in you trouble, Raiser-sama." She continued with a subtle but threatening look in her eyes. "You're treading on a thin ice as it is."

The blond devil, for the first time, actually seemed to be shaken by the grey haired woman's words and her armor-piercing gaze. A grimace painted itself onto his face and he seemed to be... shivering? Yes, yes, he was shivering… but only a bit.

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow at that. He still wasn't quite sure who this woman was... but she was definitely going on his "do not tick off list."

"I didn't expect you to take it so personally." Rias commented about Tatsumi's near outburst., a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Tatsumi, realizing what she meant, looked away. "Ah, well..." His cheeks flushed red. "i-it would be a shame if you had to marry someone that you didn't like or even want to marry."

Rias nodded and stood up. "I couldn't agree more." She stated before folding her arms. "So... there won't be a wedding." She stated firmly before pointing at Raiser. "I'm not marrying Raiser."

"Don't be so selfish Rias." Raiser stated with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You know that this is for the betterment of Devils everywhere."

Rias scoffed and rolled her eyes resentfully before glaring at the blonde devil. "Betterment of devils everywhere?" Rias repeated doubtfully. "I highly doubt that even you believe what you just said." She pointed out, much to the Raiser's annoyance.

"It _is _for the betterment." Raiser dismissed as he as gave the redhead a low-level glare. "The less of this reincarnated, low class scum we have running around the better." He snapped harshly with his gaze focused on Asia and Issei. "We both come from famous pillars Rias, pillars that have standards to up hold. Just think about how powerful a pureblood devil with both the power of destruction and the Phenex immortality born from our union would be!"

The red haired senpai rolled her eyes yet again. "Even so, one marriage is not going to change anything." She spelled out. "Last time I checked, the Phenex and Gremory do not make up the entirety of pure-blooded devils." She scoffed. "I don't want to marry you, thinking about having a child with you is something I don't think I can bear."

Everyone else in the room remained silent as the Devil heirs bantered back and forth. It would have been rude to interrupt them and frankly, no one really wanted to get in the middle of this since for most of the spectators, one of these heirs was their master. The repercussions for attempting to stop them could be severe and... well... this was just somewhat entertaining to watch.

Raiser's eyebrow twitched, seemingly in annoyance. It was quite obvious that he was starting to lose his patience with either Rais, her attitude, or the whole thing in general.

"Then consider it to be political." Raiser offered with a shrug, the annoyance present in his voice and in his eyes. "There is nothing wrong with that right? If our clans come together we'd be the strongest in the Underworld."

Rias closed her eyes and shook her head. "And what would that prove?" She inquired

Suddenly Raiser slammed his first on the table, much to everyone's surprise. His face was now twisted with rage and his eyes were wild with anger. It was quite clear that he was done with Rias at this point in time.

"Stop being such a little bitch!" Raiser snapped, his words dripping with venom. "I'm at my wit's end here, between that human scum and your stubbornness!" He roared angrily. "How about this!? What if I exterminate your peerage!? What then!?"

A cold aura suddenly filled the room and Rasier's anger shrunk into nonexistent as he slowly turned his head to look at Grayfia. The grey haired woman was definitely the source of the cold aura. Grayfia's eyes were focused intently on Raiser and the cold aura spiked when her eyes narrowed, causing the blonde devil to shiver once again.

"Please refrain doing anything rash or I WILL be forced to _intervene._" The grey haired woman stated, the cold aura not weakening for even a moment. "I can assure you that there will be no second chance if I have to get involved." She finished professionally.

Tatsumi, who had been standing next to Grayfia since she entered the room, looked at the grey haired woman with a mixed expression. However, everyone else seemed to have felt something similar to what Raiser felt. They were obviously unnerved by the sharp cold snap but it was clear that the more experienced of the spectators weren't as affected by it as Raiser.

_"Impressive." _Tatsumi noted while observing the unnerved expressions of the others. _"She is definitely going on the list of people not to mess with."_

"Fortunately, Gremory-sama and Phenex-sama predicted that Ojou-sama wouldn't agree to the marriage willingly." Grayfia stated, completely unaffected or simply not caring about the expressions she was receiving. "They have agreed to give Ojou-sama a chance to end her arranged marriage through a Rating Game." She explained with a gesture. "If Ojou-sama wins, her marriage is off. If Raiser-sama wins, then the wedding will take place soon after the rating game."

"Yes!" Issei added audaciously while vigorously pumping his fist. "Let's do it Bachou!" He cheered energetically with fire burning in his eyes. "We can totally beat this blonde pretty boy bastard!"

Raiser began laughing, most likely at Issei's proclamation. The confident blonde devil raved as he held his side in laughter, much to Issei's and almost everyone else's annoyance. However, just as quickly as he started he stopped, and once again the arrogant smirk/smile returned on his face.

"A Rating Game? Is that all?" The blonde devil stated confidently. "Fine with me, if a Rating Game is the only way to settle this then so be it." Raiser said before holding up his index finger. "And, as a sign of good faith, I'll give you ten days to prepare for it."

"I agree." Was the simple response from Rias. "A Rating Game it is."

Grayfia nodded. "If that is what you wish." She said as a red magic circle appeared at her feet. "I will inform your parents of your decision." She shot a glare at Raiser. "And you will come with me, your parents will want to have a word with you after they're informed of your conduct."

Raiser lowered his head. "Yes, ma'am."

_"So whipped." _Tatsumi mentally commented as he watched Raiser, his peerage, and Grayfia gathered in the red circle.

As they prepared to leave, Tatsumi noticed someone staring at him. His eyes shifted slightly the side to see an extremely well-endowed and attractive woman looking at him. She was wearing a very revealing dress that showed copious quantities of cleavage.

When she noticed that Tatsumi had caught her staring she licked her lips and winked right as she and the others left the room.

The bass player shivered. _"Oh God...not another one."_

"Sorry that you had to see that." Snapping out of it, Tatsumi turned around to find Rias sitting behind her desk again. "I wasn't expecting Raiser to visit until next week. I have no clue why he decided to come up here so early." She said. "But... it seems that starting from tomorrow, we're going to be training."

"So what exactly are you dealing with here?" Tatsumi said, folding his arms. "That Raiser guy, what is his story?"

Rias sighed and leaned back in chair. "He's the heir of the Phenex clan and, as you figured out, is supposed to be the man I marry." She said distastefully. "He is also has 8-2 win-lose ratio in Rating games."

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow. "So?"

"So?! The only reason he has those two loses in rating games is because he lost them on purpose. They were a sign of respect to the households that his family was close to."

"And?" Tatsumi again inquired.

Rias's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but she decide to remain calm. "The 'and' part Tatsumi-san, is that the Phenex clan possess the powers of the Phoenix: immortality, healing tears, pyrokinesis, and aerokinesis."

"Aerokinesis?" Tatsumi arched an eyebrow. "Since when can a phoenix do that?"

The red haired senpai sighed, "Raiser is not going to be an easy opponent." Rias stated with a downcast look. It was clear to the former assassin that the Gremory girl pretty much has already resigned to fate and the whole rating game thing is only means to prolong the inevitable. That didn't sit well with him.

Tatsumi scoffed. "So, you're just going to give up then?" He questioned sarcastically. "I expected more from you Rias-senpai."

"I never said that I was giving up." Rias quickly corrected him. "I believe that we have a possibility of winning, but the chances are very small even then."

The green eyed teen folded his arms and cocked his head to the side. "Oh, so you're just going to half-ass it then huh?"

Rias glared at Tatsumi but remained silent. She was quite angry, annoyed, and saddened all at once. The fact was, the whole Rating Game idea was just a way to give her "false hope" that she could actually end this marriage. That is what it sounded like, right? Allowing the fate of a marriage to be dictated by Rating Game in which one of the participants has never truly lost?

It was clear that there wasn't any fighting chance to begin with… only the offering of a lamb to be sacrificed.

"Tatsumi-san," Said male looked over to see Akeno frowning at him. "that rude comment was uncalled for."

The green eyed teen sighed. "Wouldn't have said it if it wasn't the truth." He stated harshly. "The incidents with Issei's death and the fallen angels leads me to believe that you half-ass things."

Rias glared at Tatsumi with an insulted stare. "The incident with the Fallen Angels was beyond my control." She stated, clearly not letting up. "If I had simply attacked them on spot without any sort of provocation or solid claims, then I would have risked starting up the war between the Three Factions again." Tatsumi looked shocked. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to be remembered in history for starting a war."

The green eyed teen slammed his face with his palm. "Okay, that is understandable... but still, you could have handled that situation a lot better." He said before sighing. "You could have said that before, it would have saved headaches." He said "Besides, didn't they attack Issei after he become a devil? So, technically, they would have started the war, not you."

"Even so, I-"

Tatsumi raised his hand to signal her to be quiet. "Do you think you can win? Even if the chance is slim, do you think you can win?"

"Yes." The red head answered without hesitation.

The green eyed teen smiled and nodded. "Good, so count me in."

The Occult Research Club blinked at the sudden announcement. They knew what it sounded like: an offer to provide some kind of assistance, but they weren't quite sure about it. Tatsumi was... strange, for a lack of a better word. The green eyed swordsman was stubborn and only ever really only got involved when his friends were threatened, which were Koneko, Asia, and Issei.

Rias tilted her head to the side, a bewildered expression on her face. "What?"

"I said I'm going to help you," Tatsumi stated, placing his hands in his pockets. "Well, to be more specific, I'm going to help you train." He continued before smiling gently. "Believing that you can win is the first step to victory. So, if you truly believe you can win, then I'll help you."

"Why? Why would you help?" The red haired senpai questioned, still bewildered.

"Even the strongest of opponents always have a weakness." Tatsumi said as a matter of fact while he started to walk towards the door. "Those are the words of a wise man." He said as he stopped right in front of the door and turned around. "Immortal or not, Riaser can be defeated." Tatsumi smirked. "With enough intense training, you can overcome him."

"But..."

"Don't get me wrong," Tatsumi interrupted. "I'm doing this mostly for Asia-san, Issei, and Koneko-chan." He quickly announced to avoid any misunderstandings. "I would be extremely angry if they got hurt in something that they didn't have a chance of winning in the first place."

At first, Rias looked shocked by his words, but soon the shock was replaced with a smile. "Thank you, you're help is appreciated." She said. "But do you think the training will really help?"

The green eyed teen smirked. "Try swimming upstream in a suit of armor." He suggested, the smirk never leaving his face. "Or you could try sparring with each other while wearing a suit of armor." A few members cringed at Tatsumi's suggestions. "Trust me, it will work."

"Then it's settle then," Rias stated as she leaned back in her chair. "We'll meet here early tomorrow morning and go to my summer villa to train." She said before elaborating. "It is in a secluded area surrounded by a forest, so we can do some intense training there without anyone bothering us."

Tatsumi turned back around again and opened the clubroom's door. "I'm retiring for today. We have a lot work of ahead of us so make sure you all get plenty of rest. I'll see you guys tomorrow." The green eyed swordsman's last words as he left the room.

When he was gone, Rias sat back in her chair and unleashed a deep sigh. Well, this sure was shaping up to be an interesting day wasn't it? Although, the red haired senpai really hoped that these were all the interesting events that would happe today. She didn't think that her mind could handle another plot twist or a sudden break-through right now.

It was then that Kiba decided to speak up. The blonde haired knight stepped forward and his usual smile was replaced with a face laced with skepticism and doubt. "Are you sure that letting Tatsumi-kun help with the training is wise?"

Asia blinked. "What do you mean, Kiba-kun?"

Kiba folded his arms. "Since day one, Tatsumi-kun has been very uncooperative and he's insulted Bachou more than anything else." The blonde haired knight pointed out. "I can't quite bring myself to believe that he would just help... or provide anything useful." He said. "It was a big enough twist that he let you revive Asia-san without any resistance."

"You're just saying that because he doesn't like you." Issei countered with an angered expression. "He has helped us several times and if this Raiser bastard is as strong as Bachou says, we need all the help that we can get, right?"

Asia nodded. "That's right!"

"...agreed." Koneko added, while munching on a cookie.

"Yep." Akeno finished with a giggle.

Rias nodded. "I can understand your suspicions Kiba-kun, but when it comes to helping his friends, Tatsumi-san is very dependable." She chided, making the blonde haired knight sigh. "If you have reservations about Tatsumi-san then maybe you should voice them tomorrow during training."

Kiba arched an eyebrow. He was pretty surprised that Bachou would suggest such a thing. "Are you saying that I can challenge him?"

"Pretty much." Rias shrugged. "But, I'd be careful Kiba-kun." She continued with a gleam in her eye. "Before him, I haven't met any human that can take down four fallen angels and a small army of exorcists by himself."

Kiba nodded. "Understood." He looked at the window at the setting sun. _"It's about time that we see what you're made of Tatsumi-kun." _

* * *

Tatsumi laid sleeping in his bed, dreaming the night away. However, his body twisted and jerked spontaneously and violently. Sweat rolled of his brow like rain off the roof. There was something wrong here, painfully wrong.

Recently... this scene was becoming more and more common. All this tossing and turning was never a good thing.

_Tatsumi dropped to a kneeling position, his knees sliding into the soft freshly dug soil. A halo of grey clouds overhead threatened to bring rain down on the scene. It would have been fitting though. Rain was common on days where something like... this happened. Deeds were often reflected in nature and vice-versa, and there are some people out there who believe that rain was an omen of death. And... sadly… an omen of death it was this time around._

_"I guess my promises weren't enough." Tatsumi said to himself, his hands clutching the fresh soil tightly._

_Just a few feet away from Tatsumi's position and embedded in the ground was a headstone. On the stone it read:_

_Mein_

_Ah yes, the poor pink haired girl and Tatusmi's...former girlfriend. The poor girl went into a coma after using every bit of her energy to take out the Grand General Budo, which also destroyed the Teigu Pumpkin in the process. After that, Mein was sent to Revolutionary Army base so she could receive treatment... and hopefully wake up one day. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be and Mein passed away._

_Tatsumi was informed of this the next day and traveled to the place they said she had been buried. It was a beautiful spot: under a tree with a perfect view of the rising sun._

_"When you wake up... marry me." Tatsumi heard his promise echo through his mind. "I love you."_

_"Rest in peace." The green eyed swordsman prayed as he pulled out the ring he bought, it would have been the ring he would have proposed with if she woke up. He shoveled a bit of soil with his hand, carefully dropped the ring into the hole, and covered it up again._

_**"What do you desire?" **__An ominous voice asked, as a pair of slender feminine arms wrapped around Tatsumi's body. __**"Power? Revenge? They killed her didn't they? They have to pay, right?"**_

_"You again." Tatsumi stated, he didn't have to ask who it was… since he already knew._

_The voice giggled. __**"You can't escape me." **__It stated as its hands started to roam over Tatsumi's form. __**"Come on, just tell me what you want. I can make it... all better." **__It giggled again before Tatsumi felt its hot breath in his ear. __**"What do you have to lose?"**_

_Tatsumi grit his teeth before he violently pulled away from the... thing caressing him. He got this feet, spun around, and gave the abomination the most hateful and malicious glare he could muster. However, the abomination had once again moved behind him, hiding its face like it always did. No matter how many times Tatsumi had this dream… he never got a glimpse of the abomination's face or its body. The only part he ever saw was its deceiving feminine and slender arms._

_"Get away from me!"_

_**"Why!?" **__The voice screamed in outrage. __**"Why won't you let me in!? Why do you reject me!? WHY!?"**_

_"I don't even know what you are!" Tatsumi countered as he moved around to get a look at the abomination, but it continuously evaded his gaze._

_The voice scoffed. __**"I maybe different but I'm still the same underneath!" **__The voice roared triumphantly. __**"Let me in!"**_

_Tatsumi narrowed his eyes sharply. "No."_

_**"Raah!"**__ The voice roared, causing the ground to shake violently but Tatsumi stood firmly. __**"You trust a disgusting Devil to take care of your friend but you don't trust me!?"**_

_"That's different!"_

_**"Liar!"**__ The voice unleashed an eardrum bursting shriek. __**"You let that Devil revive the blonde one because YOU didn't want her to die! You were only thinking of yourself! You didn't give a damn what that girl wanted did you!?"**_

_"But...I..."_

_**"Do not attempt to lie to me! I recognize lies from the truth!"**__ The voice declared proudly. __**"Lying to me is like lying to yourself!" **Tatsumi's eyes sharpened into a dangerous glare at that declaration. **"Two parts of the same whole. We are the same!"**_

_"You don't know anything!"_

_**"I know everything."**__ The voice countered. __**"Everything; the truth behind your thoughts, the method behind your madness, and the dark history. You can change your shape but you can NEVER change your heart!"**_

_The voice continued on. __**"Have faith in me! Believe in me! Let me in! How can you trust a disgusting Devil...WHEN YOU CAN'T TRUST OR BELIEVE IN ME!"**_

_Tatsumi gritted his teeth as he erratically looked around for the source of the voice. "Because I don't know what you are. I've said that before." He said. "I'll trust Rias-senpai to take care of Asia-san more than I will trust an abomination in my dreams."_

_**"Even if I'm telling you the truth!?"**_

_The green eyed swordsman didn't answer._

_**"Foolish boy, why won't you let me in?" **__The abomination was no longer in a mood to play games. __**"Idiot, do you realize just how weak you are? You're an ant, a lowly insect compared to those disgusting creatures." **__The abomination snapped viciously. __**"Do yourself a goddamn favor and LET ME IN!"**_

_"And lose my mind to you, whatever you are?" Tatsumi countered as he turned around, only to find the abomination had moved against to evade his gaze. "I think I'll pass."_

_The voice unleashed a savage roar that shattered the headstone. Tatsumi's hands balled into air-locked fists. __**"Fine then! One day you'll see that I was right! You'll see that you need me!" **__The abomination shouted. __**"Come back when you realize that! BEGONE!"**_

Tatsumi's eyes shot open and his body jolted up. The green eyed teen put his hand to his forehead and found it literally dripping with sweat. His eyes were wide and unfocused, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. The teen could literally feel his heart pounding against his chest at an alarming rate. To make matters worse, Tatsumi could feel that his bed was soaked with his sweat.

"God." Tatsumi wiped his brow before panting like a dog on a summer day. "What the hell is going on here?" He looked around his room. "Why do I keep having this dream?"

This dream was occurring more and more often. Tatsumi didn't know why it was happening and he didn't know why it never changed. The dream always started with Mein's grave to which the abomination would appear and tell him to "let it in."

Why was it an abomination? Tatsumi wasn't quite sure. It seemed to be more of a natural reflex to call it that. He felt his mind being subconsciously drawn to that word. It was beyond bizarre… but the strangest part was... Tatsumi never questioned why he used that word. He never even saw the "abomination" so the world was more like shooting in the dark.

"Why... an... abomination? Why do you feel so familiar?" The green eyed teen wondered as he got out of his bed to head to the bathroom. "So strange… yet so familiar. Totally different... yet exactly the same." He recited unnaturally poetically.

Tatsumi splashed his face with water and dried it with a towel. But moments later streams of tears started to roll out of his green orbs and down his cheeks as sadness stung his heart. _"Mein..." _He dropped to his knees on the bathroom floor and began to weep for his lost love.

Despite all those years that have passed… it still hurt.

* * *

**AN:**

**Back From the Dead-  
**Long time no see. I know that the last time that I posted a chapter was...4 months ago. Sorry about that but in my defense I had quite a few things going on at the time. Things that can be explained through this hilariously crafted acronym.

A\- Apathy

S\- Senoritis

S\- Suckish schedules

D\- De-motivational posters

I\- In graduation

C\- Conflicts with jerks

K\- Kicking around ideas.

Heh, hilarious acronyms aside, I really was busy and didn't really have much time to work on the chapter. This year was my Senior year and everything is really hectic during the last few months of school. I also got pretty lazy during that time so I guess I really could have worked on it more. The long break I had also explains why this chapter may not have the same quality that most of my chapters usually do.

**Gold III-**  
The good news is during that time I was able to get to Gold III in League of Legends. I'm no longer a Gold V scrub boys, I'm a Gold III scrub now. Look upon me and weep you silly peasants (This is a joke obviously). As some of you may know, I play League of Legends.

**Errors in the Chapter-  
**If you see any errors please report them so I can fix them.

**Why did you wait until now to say something about Mein?:  
**It's a painful memory for the most part. She was Tatsumi's girlfriend and he did love her dearly but he knows that she wouldn't want him to sit and brood so he does his best to move on for her. It's also debatable to say that Mein's "passive death", not murdered in other words, is probably more disturbing than her death would be if she was murdered. Tatsumi is use to people dying because they're killed everyday...but no one in AGK (at least from what I can remember), ever died by natural causes (poison is not a natural cause).

**High School DxD BorN:  
**Before anyone else asks, I have not really been keeping up with it. I've seen a few episodes, maybe like 2 or 3, but I haven't seen anything other than that. I have a pretty good idea of what is going on though.

**My Opinion on the Rias vs Raiser Rating Game:  
**Personally, I think that it was grossly unfair. I'm not quite sure what Rias's parents were thinking when they agreed to let a Rating Game decide her marriage, it was an idea that was heading straight for disaster from the very beginning. Logically, she really had no chance of winning unless she was immune to the plot, essentially, she was just like a sacrificial lamb.

**My Opinion on the "Starting the War" incident:  
**This was brought up in this chapter. Honestly, I don't really see how Rias could be responsible for causing the war if one were to break out. The Fallen Angels were on _HER _territory. They killed Issei in _HER _territory. They attacked Issei_. _They attacked Issei _again. _As far as I can see, the fallen angels would be sole responsible in case a war did break out.

**Fate of "A Hero's Work is Never Done":  
**Honestly, I was considering not finishing that story because a few...individuals and their constant...badgering. I write these stories because I WANT to. In essence, it is basically me writing the story myself and you, the viewers, reading it if you want. But it is mostly for me. That is what I believe and I stand behind that 100%.

Anyways, I haven't decided what is going to happen with AHWND in the long run. I will say that the next chapter is guaranteed. If things progress nicely then I'll probably finish it like promised but...forgive me if it doesn't get finished. I simply cannot write something that I don't have the will or feeling to write.

_"Twilight, you need thicker skin!"_

_-_I have thick skin, I just have a sarcastic temperament. What can I say? .

**Kicking Around Ideas:  
**During the break, new ideas were kicked around. A few of them have a high probability of being written. I can't really say much about them other than one of the ideas involving two series that I've never written anything for and neither one is an anime.

**Why doesn't Kiba like Tatsumi?:**  
Explained in the next chapter.

**What is the Abomination?:  
**I don't know. You tell me what you think it is.

**Hidden Quote:  
**There is a hidden quote in this chapter made by the only Naruto character that I can stand. Props to whoever knows what it is and who my favorite Naruto character is.

**Power Levels:  
**Sigh, let me try and explain this again. First of all, I've never been a firm believer in power levels or hypothetical battles. If you lose, you lose. If you win, good for you, that is what I believe. However, even I know when a series or character is grossly stronger than another. It is pretty obvious that Tatsumi is like an ant compared to a lot of DxD characters. But...you honestly thought I would go into this not knowing that?

Have faith in my abilities to tell the story.


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is pretty text-heavy and it has been a while since I've written. Keep any eye our for any mistakes or gaps in logic and I'll fix them later. **

* * *

**1****0 Days until Rating Game**

A morning sun was still rising in the east over a few mountains in the distance. In the faint rays of sunlight, a group of people were standing outside a lavish looking villa nestled among the trees of the forest. In front of the villa was a large sparkling pond surrounded by a ring of freshly trimmed bushes. Off to the side of the pond was the cluster of Roman columns, not really sure why they were there but they were probably just for decoration. In essence, it was a fairly nice place that exhumed a comforting yet natural air.

Basically, this place was really expensive.

Standing in front of the villa in a large patch of grass were Tatsumi and the Occult Research Club. Everyone was in their training clothes, which was pretty much what they wore in PE, and were ready to train. The members of the Occult Research Club stood in a line while Tatsumi stood in front of them, leaning a bokken against his shoulder. The green-eyed teen was bored and tired. After dealing the Abomination last night, Tatsumi found it hard to get back to sleep so he stayed up. And thus the story of Raccoon-Eyes Tatsumi continued.

"Alright, before we begin allow me to make something perfectly clear to all of you." Tatsumi narrowed his raccoon-ringed eyes. "In the next few days, I'm going to be an absolute monster towards you all." He spelled out, his voice leaking with restrained malice.

"There will be moments where you hate me but...this is what's necessary for you to grow stronger." He then assumed his usual look. "Any questions?"

Kiba cleared his throat, stepped forward, and pointed at Tatsumi. "I do actually," he said, his usual polite tone being replaced with a serious one. "Tatsumi-san, before begin training, I think it would be fair if you perhaps did a demonstration of your capabilities."

"Oh? Why do you think that?" Tatsumi asked while looking straight into Kiba's eyes, making the blonde boy flinch a bit in his place but still remained resolute.

"As you have probably guessed, fighting against Riser and his peerage is gonna be the toughest challenge we'll be facing in our lives yet. If you're gonna be the one to prepare us for it, I think it would only be fair if you showed just how strong you are so we would all know that we made the right decision in allowing you to train us," Kiba stated firmly while his fellow peerage members looked a bit uncertain if it was such a good idea. "Plus, I think we'll all find that attitude will be justified."

Tatsumi cocked his head to the side while maintaining his steely gaze on Kiba. "I guess that would be fair since this is does concerns your future. So... what would you have me do then?"

The blonde-haired devil allowed a small, almost unnoticeable smirk to appear on his face. "I think facing off against me in a duel would suffice enough... if it isn't too much trouble to you, of course."

"In other words, you want to know if I'm capable of killing you." Tatsumi sighed and heaved the bokken over his shoulder. "I guess you're using this as some sort of excuse to fulfill a selfish agenda."

The blonde knight narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to imply something?"

"Sure am." Tatsumi nodded before shooting a piercing glare at Kiba. "But, I'll keep those comments to myself," he stated with a lazy shrug, "I'm way too tired to argue with you."

Kiba glanced at his peerage members and was greeted with questioning and curious stares. "So now what?"

"Consider that strike one, pretty boy," The green-eyed swordsman threatened. "Get to three and you'll wish you didn't," His eyes practically glowed with malice. "I guarantee it."

He stated, "If you want a duel then we'll duel." He smirked and jabbed his thumb into his chest. "But don't think that I'm going to go easy on you just because you're a pretty boy."

"I would expect nothing less," Kiba replied with a keen smile. "_Finally, I get to see what you can do up close."_

* * *

Tatsumi and Kiba stood a distance away from each other, bokken in hand, and their eyes locked together. The ORC looked on with both interest and anxiety. The interest was in how this would actually turn out. Kiba and Tatsumi were both fast, they were both skilled, and they both experienced. They also held a mutual dislike for each other which no one clearly understood. The anxiety came from the possible...repercussions that this could have, pissing off your teacher was never a good thing.

"Are you ready?" Kiba called out as he took his stance.

Tatsumi also took his stance. "Sure."

With both combatants ready, the two dashed at each other with blinding speed before meeting halfway in a flurry of swift blows. The two traded blow for blow with neither side gaining the advantage over the other. They were in complete equilibrium.

The blonde knight smirked. "_He's not bad."_

Tatsumi frowned as he carefully balanced out Kiba's blows with his own. He was especially careful to not make it appear as if he was losing or that he was winning. Simply "equalizing" would be enough to get a gauge of Kiba's abilities. _"He's sloppy."_

The two speedy fighters then jumped way from each other, putting at least a couple yards between them. No one moved, not even the onlookers, as an era of silence overtook the battle. Neither Tatsumi or Kiba dropped their stance or lowered their guard. Even though nothing was happening, one could practically feel the pressure of the tension in the air rising.

_"He killed four fallen angels and a small army exorcists with this?"_ Kiba doubted as he lowered his stance to get better leverage. _"I find that hard to believe."_

_"His technique are as basic and low-level as they come." _Tatsumi grimaced as his stomach growled. _'"Why am I so hungry? I just ate twenty minutes ago."_

Kiba suddenly darted towards Tatsumi at the fastest speed demonstrated by either fighter. The blonde looked like a jet as he sped towards his opponent, his bokken poised to deal the next, and possibly, the last blow. But Tatsumi didn't back down. He put his guard up and anticipated Kiba's blinding attack.

"Hyah!" Kiba slammed his bokken down on Tatsumi with both hands. But it was blocked.

_"Hmm, that particular blow was strong," _the green-eyed swordsman thought as he balanced out Kiba's strength with his own._ "But his moves are about as telegraphed as they come."_

Tatsumi pushed Kiba back but the speedy knight went right back at Tatsumi. The green-eyed swordsman show no expression before he swung low at the advancing Kiba. The knight rolled out of the way and into striking position. "Tsk."

"I got you!" Kiba proclaimed as he struck low at Tatsumi's waist. _"Perfect!"_

"As if."

Kiba's eyes widened when he saw his attack blocked and a counter strike coming right for his head. He ducked and rolled out of the way before swiftly getting back to his feet.

Tatsumi hoisted his bokken up on his shoulder. "That wasn't a bad attack," he said, much to everyone's shock.

The blonde knight blinked at the praise, "You're not bad yourself."

"Too bad it was the only impressive move that you've demonstrated so far." The brown-haired assassin finished with a smirk.

Kiba's eyebrow twitched at that insult.

Tatsumi's smirk disappeared. _"Easily insulted; possibly indicating a lack of emotional control," _His grip on his sword tightened.

With that, the brown-haired former assassin jetted forward towards Kiba, who braced himself for the incoming blow. When the brown-haired teen was close enough, he bent down low to strike up.

"Is this the best you can do Tatsumi?" Kiba mocked before his eyes suddenly went wide when his opponent switched hands. "A feint!?"

Kiba jumped back from the blow before thrusting forward at the advancing Tatsumi. The green-eyed teen tilted his head to the side just as the blade came straight for his face. Seeing his opportunity, Tatsumi slashed at Kiba's waist only for the blonde to spin to the side to avoid it. Tatsumi dug his heel into the ground and spun to strike just as Kiba came down on him.

_"Back to square one."_ Kiba grit his teeth and frowned.

Tatsumi's stomach growled. _"Well...that ain't good."_

The two swordsman suddenly disappeared in a burst of blazing speed and traded blows at an unreal pace. Rias and the rest of her peerage watched with awe as Tatsumi and Kiba seemingly phased in and out of existence, only appearing to exchange blows. Neither side had the definite edge. Neither side lost speed or power and neither side lost momentum. For all intents of purposes, they were completely equal.

_"Tatsumi-kun sure is strong,'" _Kiba thought to himself as he continued to strike and block at extreme speeds. "_But, how is he this strong as a human? Special training? Innate ability? I'm not sure...but something is off."_

In Tatsumi's mind: _"So this is all he can do. How...disappointing__."_

With that the two swordsman clashed swords one more time before they jumped away from each other. The peace didn't last forever and the two went back at each other once more.

However, this time was different. While the flurry of strikes hadn't changed, there was something underneath. Something boiling underneath the surface.

"I've got you now!"Kiba swung his sword...but hit nothing.

The blonde knight as well as the spectators blinked in shock and confusion. It was strange. Tatsumi was here one moment but when Kiba took a swing at him, it seemed like he just...vanished. Almost like he wasn't even there. Kiba looked all around for his vanished foe but found no trace of him. It didn't seem the others had anymore luck in finding the missing assassin either. They were all looking around as well.

"Where did he-!" Kiba stopped when he felt something poke him at the base of his skull.

"Tag, you're it."

The blonde knight's eyes widened to the size of plates before ever so slowly turning his head to look over his shoulder. What he saw was Tatsumi with a rather bored and uninterested expression. Kiba's shocked blue orbs slowly glanced over to his comrades and found their expressions were just as dumbfounded as his own.

"So shocked that you can't even speak?" the former assassin inquired as he poked Kiba in the forehead to grab his attention. "If the roles were reversed I suppose I would react the same way."

The knight remained silent, probably still from shock so Tatsumi kept talking. "By the way, I could have done that at anytime."

That seemed to snap Kiba out of it. "So this entire time you were toying with me?" he questioned, irritation obvious in his voice.

Tatsumi sighed, he knew this was going to happen. In terms of skill and ability, he and Kiba were worlds apart. Make no mistake, the knight was decent speed and strength but all it wasn't like Tatsumi was trying to win that skirmish. If this were a real battle to the death, Tatsumi would waste no time cutting Kiba down. That was what it meant to be an assassin. At its core mercy is merely a responsibility not a right. Kill your target before they can kill you. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way.

"Well, technically speaking I was testing your capabilities." Tatsumi stated with a sweeping hand gesture. "The purpose of today was to access the strengths and weaknesses of everyone here." This statement made everyone arch an eyebrow. "Besides, you were the one that challenged me, remember?" Everyone looked at Kiba. "The only one you have to blame for getting embarrassed is yourself."

Green eyes glanced down to see the Kiba's grip tighten on his bokken. It was obvious that he didn't like that remark and he didn't like what just happened either. Tatsumi gave the knight a bored look as the blond boy sighed and walked to his comrades on the sidelines.

_"This guy," _he thought. "_He's going to have an agenda with me now. And he didn't like me to start with." _He snorted and inhaled sharply, _"What is his deal anyways? I didn't start the fire, but he is definitely fanning it__."_

"As I was saying." Tatsumi stabbed the tip of his bokken into the ground and placed a hand on his hip. "We have ten days until the Rating Game with Raiser. The way you are now...you're not going to win. You're all hopeless."

Upon hearing that, Issei started, "Hey! We're not-!"

"You're not what?" Tatsumi challenged, glaring at the pawn from the corner of his eye.

The pawn wanted to say that wasn't true but soon found his mouth had betrayed him. In all honestly, he wasn't sure if they could win but there was always a chance...no matter how slim. The perverted boy glanced at his comrades to find that they didn't necessarily like that comment either. But, what could they say?

Asia raised her hand. "So...um...what exactly will be doing?"

The green-eyed swordsman smirked unconsciously. "I'm glad you asked that," he said, "Each of you is unique so you'll either have your own regime or share one with one of your comrades." He pointed his bokken at a tired Issei. "Issei, for example, is going to be swimming in that pond while wearing a suit of armor."

Said teen's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and his jaw practically hit the floor at that statesmen. Despite the humorous reaction, Tatsumi's face remained blank and expressionless even though he did find the image to be oddly amusing.

"I'm going to be doing what!?" Issei shouted in outrage, not really surprising anyone that he did so.

The other members of the ORC cringed the exercise that Issei had to do. In was, in no meaning of the word, practical. In fact it was more dangerous than anything. A low-level devil like Issei would have a hard time keeping afloat in a suit of armor let alone actually sleeping in it.

Tatsumi maintained his blank and expressionless face as he calmly replied, "I said that you're going to be wearing a suit of armor and swimming in that pond. What part don't you understand?"

"The whole swimming in a suit of armor thing!" Issei countered in an outraged manner. The perverted boy's eyebrow twitched at the very thought that question had even been asked. Was Tatsumi trying to kill him!? "I'll die! I'll drown! I can't swim in a suit of armor!"

"Well, if you die it would be pretty obvious you drowned," the human teen replied with a sarcastic deadpan. "I won't expect you to die from dehydration."

Issei deflated, crumbling into a ball on the ground. "If you're trying to be funny then it isn't working."

"Don't worry Issei-kun, I have an idea."

Issei turned his head to see Rias giving him a reassuring smile. The warm smile on the Buchou's face did comfort him a bit but it didn't wither away all of his anxiety. While he was sure that Tatsumi wasn't going to let him die and that this was all an attempt to make him stronger, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. It was only natural that water and heavy armor didn't really go together. Only a dead fellow and a water grave could result from such a careless pairing.

A red magic circle appeared and Rias's familiar, in human form, appeared. "She'll save you if you start to drown," Rias offered with a smile.

"A-alright then." Issei gulped before turning to Tatsumi. "Where is the suit of armor?"

The human teen pointed near the pond where an incomplete suit of armor laying on the ground. It was the kind of armor that knights wore in a time long past. This meant two things: it was all metal and it was very heavy. It was a perfect instrument of death. How ironic, that a garment meant to protect would cause death.

_"This is bullshit!" _Issei cursed as he ambled over the armor, Rias's familiar following closely behind.

With Issei getting started on his exercise, Tatsumi turned his attention to the others. While scratching the back of his head Tatsumi turned his focus to Koneko who, surprisingly, wasn't munching on anything. She was a rook piece from what Rias and Sona said. Apparently the rook piece was practically like a tank, it possesses great physical strength and endurance but usually lacked speed. He had never seen Koneko really move that fast but it didn't necessarily mean she was slow considering devils were stronger than humans to begin with.

_"Hmm, I'm not sure exactly what she fights like but it would probably be a good idea to test her speed." _The swordsman thought before shooting Kiba a look. _"And he's a knight, right?"_

Knights, in a sense, were like the polar opposites of the rooks. Rather than having the high strength and endurance of the rooks, knights boosted high speed and were usually more fragile than their rook comrades. Of course, that didn't mean that all rooks were slow and that all knights weren't strong or resilient. There are exceptions to every rule after all.

_"I already got an idea of what he is capable of but I can probably use this to my advantage." _

"Koneko-chan and Kiba, you're next," the green-eyed teen stated, pointing his bokken at the duo.

There was no visible reaction on Koneko's part while Kiba looked like he was focused on something else. The distant look in his eyes was all the evidence needed to see that. Tatsumi could think of a number of things that the blonde swordsman could have been thinking about. All of them...were a pain in the ass.

"I'll take your silence as a cue to go on." Tatsumi coughed awkwardly into his hand. "You two will be sparring with each other all day." He motioned towards a bag that was placed at his feet. "Then when you're done you will fill out reports on what your opponent was like." They both nodded. "Now begin."

Without a word the two veteran devils turned and walked away to find a space big enough to begin their mock battle. Tatsumi gave an approving nod and turned to the three remaining members of the ORC: Asia, Rias, and Akeno.

"I saved you three for last because you're going to be following similar training for today," he said. "I prepared these lists for you." Tatsumi produced three pieces of paper from his pockets and handed them to the remaining devils.

Rias quirked an eyebrow at her list. These were just normal strength training exercises: five hundred push-ups, five hundred sit-ups, and a five-kilometer run. In comparison to Issei, Konkeo, and Kiba, her regime was surprisingly easy and simple. Rias was shocked that Tatsumi had gone easy on her. Although there were still nine days left for that to change. Her green-blue eyes shifted to see that Akeno and Asia shared her expression. They must have had the same exercises as well.

"Get on those exercises immediately if you will," Tatsumi said in a very businesslike manner.

The trio of devils nodded before scampering off to find an empty spot to do their exercises. As they did so, Tatsumi took stock of what everyone was doing. Issei was struggling to 'swim', more like in the lake with that strange woman watching over him. Koneko and Kiba were completely immersed in their sparring session, their outfits already showing the battle damage.

With all of his disciples in check, Tatsumi let out a sigh before sitting down on the ground. His green eyes narrowed slightly, "_Enjoy yourselves while you can, the gloves come off in the days to come," _he thought without emotion. _"From dusk to dawn, I'll train you all even if I have to break you in the process."_

* * *

**8 Days Until Rating Game**

Rias breathed heavily as she bit back the pain wrecking havoc through her system. Her whole body ached and she could already feel bruises starting to form. There was not a single part of her body that didn't hurt. Even her workout clothes reflected how much she hurt. They were disheveled, covered in dirt, and were even ripped in some places. Her red bra was visible on the right side and one of the legs of her pants had been detached completely. She wiped the sweat from her brow as she stared down her opponent.

In front of her, in his typical sword stance, was Tatsumi. The former swordsman's look was hard and he held a bokken in his hand. While Rias was looking worse for wear, Tatsumi was completely fine. Not a single hair was out of place. This was the training that she had faced. The point was to battle Tatsumi as effectively as she could using only physical attacks. No magic at all.

"That's enough of a break," Tatsumi stated. "Prepare yourself."

Rias grunted and held up her hands in a fighting stance.

Tatsumi suddenly bolted forward and Rias braced herself. She sidestepped the downward strike and threw a punch at Tatsumi's head. He spun around it and slashed high.

"Gah!" Rias put her arms up to block the blow with her forearms. She winced as the wood slammed against her pale skin. The force of the blow sent her skidding back but she remained standing. Her forearms throbbed from the pain but she ignored it and locked on her target.

The brown-haired swordsman sidestepped the incoming blow and easily worked his way around Rias's inexperienced strikes.

"You're too slow." Tatsumi grabbed her wrist and tossed her over his shoulder. "Come at me like you mean it."

Rias hissed in pain as she hit to the ground but quickly got to her feet, her hand cloaked in a red energy. However, before anything could come of it, Tatsumi grabbed her wrist and painfully wrenched her arm behind her back. Rias winced at the pain and struggled. Big mistake.

The devil's struggles only made the pain intensify and shoot up her arm. This hold that Tatsumi had her in was surprisingly effective despite how simple it must have looked. The results were painfully dreadful. Although, it was strange the brown-haired teen was able to hold her in place like he was doing. How...peculiar.

"I told you no magic," Tatsumi chided, letting her go but not before giving her a wrist a twist.

In all honestly, he had expected Rias-senpai to her lose her cool at some point which was perfectly understandable given the savage ass-whopping she was receiving. Luckily he predicted she was going to use magic or the results would have been...messy.

Rubbing her wrist after Tatsumi let go, Rias replied. "I don't see why I even have to do this." The red-haired senpai glared at her kohai. "I don't need to do physical training. I just need to master the Power of Destruction. It is our greatest weapon against Riser!"

The green-eyed swordsman sighed in exasperation before poking Rias in the chest, causing her sizable bust to jiggle in the process. Tatsumi's eyes focused on Rias like a falcon about to swoop down to claim its prey. "Why?" he repeated. "It's because you're weak! Magic and abilities are great but using them too much creates a reliance on them!"

The pure-blooded devil listened as Tatsumi went on. "When you become reliant on your abilities, you create an exploitable weakness for yourself. All it would take would be for your opponent to be physically stronger and faster than you and you're done." Rias blinked in surprise. "Answer me honestly senpai. If we were fighting for real do you really think you'd be able to hit me?"

Rias flinched as the memory of the altercation between Tatsumi and Kiba flashed in her mind. No one saw him move and if he wanted to, he could have killed Kiba or rather...anyone else if he wanted to. Admitting defeat, Rias gave a downcast look and shook her head.

"Then you see where I'm coming from?" Rias nodded. "You could have all the power in the world but it wouldn't mean a thing if you didn't last long enough to use it. Now, let's proceed." He pulled something out of his pockets.

The red-haired devil nodded and assumed her fighting stance once more. However, her face drained of color when she noticed what the objects in Tatsumi's hand where. They were definitely knives, throwing knives to be exact. They were thin yet quite sharp. Rias could tell that much from here. Without so much as a warning, Tatsumi threw them at his senpai.

Caught off guard, Rias clumsily stumbled out of the way of the lethal projectiles. "Are you serious!?"

"Don't worry, I'm not aiming for vital spots," Tatsumi reassured with a sly smirk. "Besides, it gives you more of an incentive to improve your speed and reaction time."

With that, Tatsumi threw another handful of knives. Rias grit her teeth as she dodged the lethal projectiles as they were sent her way. But one of them cut her arm, drawing blood as it whizzed by. She winced but didn't stop moving as to dodge the others that followed.

Once all the knives were gone, Rias charged towards Tatsumi and gathered the rest of her strength. Tatsumi didn't move as his senpai charged towards him.

"Hyah!" Rias punched forward.

The green-eyed assassin caught it before kneeing her in the solar plexus. Rias coughed violently as she held her gut in pain. But that was short-lived before Rias retaliated with a flurry of pitifully slow and weak blows. Tatsumi danced around her subsequent strikes before retaliating with his own in the form of a sharp strike across the face.

"Ah!" Rias whined in pain before suddenly spinning around to try and catch Tatsumi off guard.

The green-eyed swordsman evaded and Rias grit her teeth. Tatsumi scoffed as he punched her twice in the stomach before kicking her in her ribs, sending her away. The red-haired devil staggered back but remained firmly on her feet. Tatsumi quirked an eyebrow.

_"She's quite tenacious," _he noted as he ducked under her side hook. "_I expected her to give up by now."_

Tatsumi pulled his leg back and swept Rias off her feet. The red-haired senpai's eyes widened as the sudden realization of what happened hit her like a ton of bricks. She was falling. With a thud, Rias hit the ground like a sack of potatoes but didn't get back up this time. She heaved heavily as her chest rose and fell at a rapid rate. Her eyes were sealed shut and she desperately gasped for air.

The brown-haired swordsman watched his exhausted senpai with narrowed eyes. "_Despite taking such a beating she still continues to fight.'" _He glanced at the knives he had thrown, most of them were lodged in trees. "_I suppose I may have underestimated her." _He sighed._ "If all the others share her tenacity, this may not be so difficult."_

"I suppose that is enough for today," Tatsumi said, looking down at his senpai one last time before turning away to leave. "Tomorrow is a new day."

* * *

**7 Days Until Rating Game**

A waxing gibbous sat high on its throne in the sky as dusk approached. A chilling breeze weaved through the forest until it was freed by an opening where a lone figure sat in the middle. The figure sitting in the middle of the opening was Tatsumi. The teen sat crossed-legged, his eyes closed, arms folded, and his bokken splayed across his lap. The brown-haired swordsman had been here for an hour waiting for his subject to arrive. She wasn't exactly late but she sure was taking her sweet time to get here.

"_There are times like this where I wish I had a watch," _the green-eyed teen mused internally. "_I have enough money to buy my own cell phone service but not enough to get a watch?"_ He shifted a bit. "_Wait, my phone has a clock on it."_ Then he suddenly deflated. _'I left it in the villa.' _

"Here I am, Tatsumi-kun," a voice interrupted said teen's internal muse. "Sorry for being late."

The brown-haired 2nd year looked over his shoulder to see Akeno in her workout clothes. She had the usual closed eye smile on her face and had her hands folded curtly at her legs. Tatsumi got to his feet, dusted himself off, grabbed his bokken, and jabbed it into the ground.

"Alright, now that you're here we can start the training." Akeno nodded before Tatsumi held up his finger. "From what I observed over the last few days, you and Rias have similar issues; a lack of close combat training."

The raven-haired senpai nodded in agreement and flashed her signature smile. "Such a weakness is to be expected from 'wizard' types like me and Buchou," she stated knowingly, "Pawns usually make up the front line so there is really no point for the back line to be trained in close quarters."

The green-eyed assassin nodded. "Good, I'm glad that you realize what the problem is."

Akeno giggled. "Of course."

"But, there is still one matter we need to discuss."

Confused, the raven-haired senpai cocked her head to the side. "Oh? And what might that be?"

Tatsumi's face turned dead serious. Now, that wasn't saying that his previous expression wasn't serious, it was simply that this look was dead serious. Upon seeing that look, the smile on Akeno's face faded and was replaced with a displeased frown. Her eyes opened to reveal hollow violet-colored orbs. It was definitely not the look that would normally be expected from the beauty.

Tatsumi began, his voice ridged and sharp, "The sadism needs to stop."

The violet-eyed beauty didn't say anything but Tatsumi noticed her eyes narrow slightly. Seeing that Akeno wasn't going to say anything, Tatsumi went on, "You're going to get the others killed one day if you don't stop."

Akeno cocked her head to the side and it was obvious that she was irritated now. "I find it asinine that such my personal tastes would be such an inconvenience." She put her hand on her hip. "How did you even find out about that anyways?"

Tatsumi cringed grimly as a phantom visage of a certain imperial general appeared in his head. "Let's just say that I'm familiar with sadists," he admitted. _"More familiar than I'd care to be."_

Seeing an opportunity, Akeno giggled and placed a hand on her cheek. "Oh my, I never expected my adorable kohai to have a taste of-"

With that, Tatsumi practiced his tomato impression but despite his very apparent embarrassment, his face remained serious.

"T-this isn't about me," he interjected in a shaky attempt to regain his composure, . "I'm serious Akeno." He quickly regained his composure and added, "I'm not telling you to give it up forever. At the very least, you can not be sadistic for one battle."

The raven-haired senpai narrowed her eyes at the comment but took it at face value. "I don't see why that is such a concern," she stated honestly. "If I can defeat my opponent what does it matter if I play with them a bit?"

The green-eyed teen scoffed and glared at his violet-eyed senpai. "The problem is that you're wasting time and energy 'playing' with your opponents even when you clearly have the power to end it quickly," he said. "You're setting yourself up to fail."

"Oh? And how is that?"

Tatsumi's glare intensified, making Akeno shiver slightly under its powerful gaze. "With all the energy you're wasting, it would be easy for a foe to trick you and make you use all of your energy torturing them." He cracked his neck. "Or, because you used all of your energy you can't do anything useful in the heat of battle." He turned to the side. "If one of your comrades was about to die and you had the power to save them, but used all of your energy torturing your foe, what would you do?"

Akeno didn't answer but her face grew noticeably lighter and tender. Tatsumi sighed as he thought back to his previous life. He was all too familiar with not being able to save comrades in need. Despite knowing that your comeuppance could come at any time, it didn't take away the sting. There was nothing worse than losing a comrade and friend. But...that was just way the dice were rolled.

"There is nothing worse than not being able to save your comrades when they're right in front of you."

Violet eyes widened with surprise when those words hit her ears. They were...filled with emotion. She could feel the sadness and pain in that sentence. It was too...ripe to be something fact or insincere.

"Tatsumi-san." said teen looked up to see a somber yet compassionate look on his senpai's face. "What aren't you telling us?"

"A lot of things."

She glared, "Be honest."

"That was being honest." He cringed.

The green-eyed swordsman shook his head. "It's nothing to concern yourself with," he said, his eyes hardening to disguise any bit of sadness they once held. "Besides, it's in the past now. It isn't like talking is going to change what happened."

"What did happen?"

"Well...I had friends," he started. "And I couldn't save them, that is the condensed version but the point remains."

"Maybe it will help to talk about it."

"Perhaps." He shrugged. "Although, my main concern right now is training you for the Rating Game."

A frown marred Akeno's face as she absorbed Tatsumi's words and the last bit of emotion vanished from his eyes. "If we win...will you tell me what happened?"

"And why would I do that?"

"Closure?" she offered with a friendly smile.

Tatsumi blinked three times before slapping his face with his palm. "Honestly, you really shouldn't pry me for information," he said. "There is obviously a reason that I can't tell you." He gestured towards the night sky with his free hand. "As long as secrets don't hurt each other then what's the problem?"

"But-"

"Enough!" He commanded before taking a practiced stance, one very different from the one he normally used. "Just focus on the task at hand. When the time is right...all will be revealed."

It was obvious she didn't like that response but she nodded and said, "Alright."

"Good, now let's begin." He cringed. _"I must be crazier than I thought."_

-Hours Later-

Akeno laid on the ground, breathing heavily. Her bountiful chest bounced with every desperate breath she took. Her body was decorated with bruises, scrapes, and a cut here and there. Unpleasant pain was the paint and her body was the canvas. Her workout suit reflected this as the white shirt she was wearing had been practically reduced to shreds, give a clear look at her impressive mammaries.

Essentially, someone put her through the wringer and quickly put her back into it.

_"Not bad at all...but not good either. She's only slightly better than Rias which isn't saying much but..."_ Tatsumi commented, cracking his neck as he did so.

"Alright, that is enough for today," he said, looking up at the orange sky of the setting sun. "Tomorrow is a new day."

* * *

**6 Days until Rating Game**

One Koneko Toujou couldn't see anything. There was nothing around her but everlasting darkness. A devil that couldn't see in the dark? A bird without wings, correct? Not if the devil was being blinded by a black cloth tied around her head. Of course, this was planned. The blindfold and the extremely heavy weights on her arms and legs were all part of the training. She didn't quite get it but...she was doing it.

Koneko winced as a something slammed into her shoulder. It didn't exactly hurt but it definitely stung.

Another blow struck her in the in the gut.

"Koneko-chan." Said first year turned to the source of the sound which was directly to the side of her. "Try to sense me out and block my attacks," he advised. "The point of this training is to prepare you against fast opponents."

Koneko's mouth opened but before she could say anything she was struck in the stomach. Again, it didn't hurt but it stung. The white-haired first year's brows furrowed as she stood quietly, trying do what her senpai advised. She focused, paying attention to every sound and feeling for even the faintest of vibrations in the air.

There!

Koneko raised her arm to block but it was too slow and the bokken slammed into her shoulder. "Tsk." She grit her teeth. Too slow.

Again!

Whack! The bokken slammed into her side. That one was definitely faster than the other. "_He's changing speeds,"_ Koneko deduced before taking a deep breath, centering herself, and sliding into a combat stance. "I'll defeat you senpai!"

-Hours later-

Koneko sat on the ground, hugging her legs, and staring at a tree. The weights and the blindfold had been removed, but her workout clothes were a mess. Just like Akeno-senpai and Rias-senpai, her clothes had been severely damaged during her training session. But, whereas Rias and Akeno had large tears in their clothing, Koneko only had small rips which was pretty outstanding considering all the times she was hit. It was still caked with dirt though.

_"I didn't block a single one,"_ she grumbled mentally._ "I lost."_

In the background, Tatsumi observed his kohai's internal turmoil with a puzzled expression. "There...is something wrong here," he noted as he resisted the urge to slap his face with his hand. "But, I get the feeling my presence is making it worse." He sighed and looked up at the orange sky of the setting sun. "Tomorrow is a new day."

* * *

** 5 Days until Rating Game**

"Ah, there you are Tatsumi-kun."

Said teen looked around to see Kiba coming through the treeline and into the clearing Tatsumi had been using to train Akeno, Koneko, and Rias. The blonde-haired knight had the typical "nice guy" smile on his face. The knight also had the bokken that Tatsumi requested be brought and he was wearing the weights that had been prepared for him. Everything was in order so there was no need to beat around the bush.

The green-eyed teen turned to face his fellow second year and heaved his own bokken over his shoulder. Kiba stopped walking when he was just a few feet away from Tatsumi and his smile vanished, being replaced with a serious look coupled with a steely gaze.

_'Hmm, it seems he's still ticked off,'_ Tatsumi thought, taking note of the aggravated feeling he was getting from the blue-eyed knight. 'T_his might be a problem if he doesn't get over it.'_

"Kiba," Tatsumi called out. "Luckily for you, I gained firsthand experience what you're issues are." The knight did not react. Tatsumi narrowed his eyes.

"You don't know any sword techniques do you?" he asked. "To me, it just seemed you were trying fight me in a battle of speed." He pointed his finger at the knight like a pistol. "If my guess is correct than basic swordplay honed over the years is all you've got."

Kiba scoffed. "You can criticize me for that, but weren't you doing the same?"

"I could have beaten you from the first move," Tatsumi pointed out, much to Kiba's ire. "If I had used one of my techniques from the very beginning then you would have lost...quicker." He spelled out bluntly, "I hate to say this but if I wanted to kill then we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

The devil pretty boy didn't response but he gulped a bit and his eyes widened slightly at the possibility of meeting his untimely demise so quickly. He could only imagine what that would feel like, being so swiftly cut down in a way. It wasn't something he contemplated or even had to think about. He, however, was sure that Tatsumi's statement wasn't just buffing himself up. And that was the most frightening part.

"I get what you're saying," Kiba said, his face barely hiding his nervousness.

Tatsumi rolled his eyes at the blonde devil. "Look, I don't what your problem is with me but you need to get over it."

Kiba folded his arm and arched an eyebrow, "Why do I need to get over it? If I'm not mistaken you're not too fond of me either."

"Fair enough."

"So what are we going to about it and why does this factor into the Rating Game?"

Tatsumi rubbed his nose, "Well, I'm sure we both have a reason that we don't like each other." He said, "But, it is best that you don't bring your baggage into the Rating Game."

Sighing, the blonde knight shrugged. "I hate to admit it but you're right." He said, _"Even though this wouldn't be happening if you were honest from the beginning."_

_"He's probably pointing out my lies." _The human observed, noticing the way Kiba was staring at him. "Alright then, can we agree to put it aside just this one time?"

"Only for Bachou."

"Works for me."

"I have just one question though."

Tatsumi blinked in confusion as Kiba's aura darkened, a lot. It was thick but it was nothing compared to the murderous auras of some of the Empire's "finest." Compared to them, Kiba was less threatening than harmless, if that was even possible.

Kiba spoke his question, "Do you know anything about the Holy Sword Project?"

Almost immediately, the human teen cocked his head and quirked an eyebrow. "What in the world is that?"

Instantly, the murderous aura that Kiba was exhuming started to weaken briefly before disappearing completely. As the aura dissipated, Kiba's features became softer than they were before, eventually reverting back his normal expression.

"It seems you can tell the truth." Kiba shot.

"And it seems the nice guy act was just that. An act."

"We all have demons."

Tatsumi smirked, "The problem isn't when we fight our demons. It is when we fight our angels."

He glared, "Just so you know, I still don't trust you. You're lying to all of us about everything." A pause, "But, it does put my mind at ease that you weren't a part of that project."

The human teen shrugged. "I don't even know what that is." He glared suddenly. "Besides, I don't like you just because I can."

"What?"

"You ever met those people that you just don't like for no reason? Well, that is exactly what happened." Tatsumi said, "My dislike increased because I can see through your facade. And, the fact you pry, is a real pain. Maybe I'll learn to dislike you less."

"Noted," The smirk vanished and he slid into his typical fighting stance. "Now then, let's get started."

-Hours Later-

Kiba panted heavily as his body ached, begging him for a rest. He was covered in harsh bruises, all caused by a hard bokken. A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth, a reminder of the harsh lessons inflicted on his body today. By far, this was the most amount of pain he had ever been in. He was surprised that he was even standing given the amount of pain surging through his nerves.

"Guard."

Kiba braced himself as Tatsumi suddenly jetted forward. He got into the stance Tatsumi showed him, the Ko Gasumi.

The blonde second year side-stepped the attack and swung in a rising, crescent-like manner. The form and swing made it difficult for foes to to dodge it as it covered a large area, cutting off room for escape. Tatsumi blocked it with his bokken.

"Hack."

Tatsumi slashed but Kiba ducked under it, spinning around and swiping at the former assassin's feet. Tatsumi jumped over it and took a step back to avoid the follow-up strike at his neck. A clever one-two combo that left little room for error on the opponent's part.

"Slash."

Kiba slashed at Tatsumi's neck, but he missed when Tatumi stepped back. Suddenly, the knight switched hands and struck low at Tatsumi's abdomen. He jumped back and raised his sword to block the incoming blow, a chain to pressure opponents and potentially cause them to crack.

Smirking, Tatsumi said, "Not bad." He suddenly pushed back. "But, you're still too slow."

"Grah!" Kiba coughed when Tatsumi's bokken jabbed him in the stomach. He recoiled and held his stomach in pain.

The green-eyed teen sighed as he heaved his bokken over his shoulder. "I guess that's enough," he said, turning to to walk away. _"Good, he's learning the proper stances and techniques quickly."_

The teen glanced at the sky to see the earliest rays of sunlight peaking over the horizon. _"Tomorrow is a new day."_

* * *

**4 Days until Rating Game**

Issei Hyodou was shocked. He couldn't believe what he just heard. It wasn't even a pleasant kind of shock, it was the kind of shock one felt after being told something grave. An omen for a lack of a better word. He had a very bad feeling that a great amount of suffering was about to come his way.

"C-could you repeat that?" Issei stammered as he stared at Tatsumi.

The green-eyed teen tilted his head back, inhaled deeply, and exhaled. "Okay, let me repeat it for the third time," he grumbled. "You need the most work because...you suck." Issei cringed. "So, you're going to fight me in unarmed combat."

The perverted male's eye twitched. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

Once again, Issei's eye twitched at the comment. "Of course, how could I have been so stupid?"

"Cut the sass," Tatsumi snapped. "Consider this me going easy on you. I used the bokken against Rias and Akeno when I did this with them."

Issei flinched. Oh yes, the mighty bokken that Tatsumi had been using these last couple of days. Issei had only heard the horror stories of the amount of pain that wooden sword could bring but he would be spared from its holy onslaught. Well...at least for today.

"Thank you," Issei said, crying tears of joy. _"A mighty force is looking after me it seems."_

Smirking, Tatsumi replied, "Oh don't thank me yet. I said unarmed combat." His smirk grew larger as all the color drained from Issei's face. "I'm still going to beat you up, just not with a bokken. My attacks are going to hurt like hell either way."

_"Mighty force...go fuck yourself."_

_**"I'd be careful partner. Despite how he looks, he is definitely very strong."**_

Issei looked down at his arm in surprise. "Ddraig?"

_**"Try not to get beat up badly."**_

The perverted male deflated. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

-Hours Later-

Tatsumi punched Issei in the jaw, causing the brown-haired devil to recoil. Issei grit his teeth and threw a punch of his own, but it was sidestepped.

"Still too slow," Tatsumi pointed out, punching Issei in the face before kneeing him in the stomach. "Fight like you mean it!"

"_Tatsumi-san is brutal."_ Issei wiped the the blood from the corner of his mouth before charging forward like a mad bull. Tatsumi didn't react, even his face lacked any sort of change, as he put his hands up in a combat pose.

The perverted male swung but it was dodged. "Are you an idiot?" Tatsumi asked him as he effortlessly dodged all of Issei's lazy attacks. "Then again, what else could I expect from a stupid pervert?"

_**"He's got your number,"**_ Draig commented with a whistle.

"So far, you are the most miserable excuse of a devil I've seen!" Tatsumi punched Issei in the face again, causing the perverted male's body to violently jerk to the right. "Rias and Akeno may have been weak but at least they had tenacity...unlike you." He kneed Issei in the solar plexus. "A pawn? Is that what your piece is? No, there isn't a piece low enough for you."

Issei coughed as his body was jerked around from the violent assault. Pain flooded his senses as he put his arms up in a desperate attempt to defend himself from the former assassin's punches. But it was no use, Issei's guard was full of holes and some of the assassin's punches broke through his pitiful defenses, striking him violently all over. Never had Issei been in such pain, not even when he died.

"Rias could have done way better than you!" Issei found himself skidding back before slamming into the base of a tree. "I don't even remember why I even defended you. All wasted effort."

"Kah!" The perverted male coughed, wincing as he tried to sit up. When he finally mustered the strength to sit up, he found Tatsumi giving him a disappointed glare.

"Such a waste of time and effort, but it must be done," Tatsumi snapped harshly. "I advise you to get your act together by tomorrow," His eyes darkened. "Don't even think about slacking. You and everyone else, including Asia, will be sparring with me several times a day." A cruel smirk twisted his lips. "Let's see how long a weakling like you can survive."

Issei shuddered under Tatsumi's gaze and watched him disappear into the treeline. Rubbing the back of his head, the perverted teen murmured, "Geez, what was that about?" He got to his feet and brushed himself off. "Why he is being such a giant jackass all of the sudden?"

As the perverted male grumbled, his arm shined a dull green as Ddraig stirred uncomfortably_**. "Perhaps, he is trying to rile you up."  
**_

Noticing something was off, Issei looked down at his arm, "Why would he want to do that?"

_**"Sacred Gears often respond to their wielder's thoughts, needs, and feelings." **_The dragon explained. _**"Perhaps he is trying to force an evolution."**_

"Uh...okay?"

_**"Didn't your master explain this to you?"**_

He looked away sheepishly, "Uh...maybe?"

_**"It takes a village." **_Ddraig sighed.

"Hey!"

* * *

**3 Days until Rating Game**

Asia ran as fast as her legs could take her. She powered her way through the shrubbery, the branches, and the plant cover that got in her way and was rewarded with scrapes for her efforts. She twitched as the thorns of a bush cut small slices out of her legs and continued to run.

_"Keep...on moving!"_ she thought to herself right as a rock shot out of a bush like a gun. "KYA!" She ducked and kept on moving.

The blonde devil took a sharp turn into the brush right as another rock came speeding towards her. The rock pinged off a tree as she rapidly advanced through the thick foliage. She wasn't sure how big this forest was but she had to find the exit before she got hit. If she got hit then or caught she would have to start back in the middle again. And this, there was no reason to actually stop moving.

"What!?"

Suddenly, Asia's eyes widened with horror when the ground suddenly collapsed beneath her. With a panicked gasp, the terrified devil reached out her arms and caught the edge of the hole. Her breathing intensified as she looked down to see the deep abyss that awaited her below. What was with this pit? It was so deep that not even with her newfound devil night vision allowed her to see the bottom.

"Ah, ah, ah!" The blonde devil struggled to gather the strength to pull herself up. _"I'm going to fall into the hole!" _

Terrified of falling into the seemingly bottomless pit, Asia began to panic. In her panicked state, her grip loosened on the little piece she managed to grab onto.

"KYA!" She screamed, her eyes shutting out of instinct.

But...she didn't feel herself falling.

The blonde devil slowly opened her eyes and immediately looked down to see she was still over the bottomless pit. Her heart rate quickened upon seeing close she was to a potentially life threatening fall. Obviously, there had to be something stopping her from falling.

"Ta-Tatsumi-san?" The blonde devil spoke upon seeing him just a few feet away.

Said brown-haired male was literally holding her over the pit, one-handed, and the expression on his face couldn't have been more exhausted. The bags around his eyes had darkened to an unhealthy shade of purple-ish black, almost like bruises. His green eyes were narrowed but they lacked even a hint of a visible emotion, but that could have been a symptom of exhaustion.

"You failed." Was all the green-eyed male said before moving Asia over stable ground and carefully placed her on the ground. "But, you're getting better at evading and your speed has improved. So it isn't all bad."

The whole purpose of this training was to increase speed, reaction time, and evasion capabilities. The role of a medic was...harsh. They were often targeted first because of their ability to heal their allies. This meant they had to be able to dodge, evade, and outrun. If they could do that their chances of survival increased dramatically.

Looking at him, Asia asked. "Are you feeling okay, Tatsumi-san?"

"I've been better." Was the shrugging response. "I'm guessing...you're worried by the bags under my eyes?"

A nod.

"It can't be helped." he said, waving off her concern. "All I need is to get some sleep." He suddenly flashed a dread filled cringe. _"If that damn Abomination would stop showing me erotic images. Pervert."_

"O-okay." Asia replied, an unsatisfied frown on her face.

"By the way."

"Hmm?"

Tatsumi poked Asia's forehead. "Start over."

"AW!"

* * *

**2 Days until Rating Game**

"Aah, finally."

Tatsumi winced from the hot water as he slipped into the bathtub. It was painful at first, the water temperature was quite high but it only took him a few moments to adjust to the temperatures. The water all did wonders for his sore muscles and it seemed all the tension was melting away.

"Everyone is growing splendidly I think they can win now, but I won't tell that that." Tatsumi remarked, raising his hand to it was already began to prune. "Your weakness shows when your prideful."

**"How right you are." **A dark and distorted voice said.

Slowly, the smile disappeared from Tatsumi's face and was replaced with sneer. He slowly lowered his head to see his reflection had changed completely. A twisted and distorted shadow replaced his shadow. A pair of predator-like red eyes with cross-like pupils, stared back remaining idle despite the ripping waters.

"I knew it was too good to be true." He said, wiping the sweat off his face. "What do you want?"

**"Still stubborn, I see." **The Abomination said, its voice make its own image ripple. **"Why do you assume I always want something? Maybe I just wanted to say hello?"**

"No."

**"Fine." **It sighed. **"You can choose not to accept me all you want but you soon realize that is a mistake."**

Tatsumi closed his eyes, titled his head back, and inhaled sharply. "Why is that?"

**"You're just a human being, you're as fragile as they come." **The Abomination pointed out. **"Eventually you will meet someone stronger than yourself."**

"I don't doubt it."

**"And when they day comes, you'll have have two choices. You can embrace the dark and live, or praise the sun and die."**

He sighed. "Is that all you had to say?"

**"No," **It almost moaned. **"You've been acting strangely." **Tatsumi narrowed his eyes.** "Increased aggression and paranoia, that isn't like you at all."**

His glare intensified. "Why do you care?"

**"Because that is something that I'd expect from me." **

"Oh really?"

The reflection of the Abomination narrowed its eyes, seemingly in irritation. **"Increased appetite and the next stage will be the desire to mate." **It explained. **"The desire to mate shouldn't be suppressed. You'll wish you were dead if you do."**

"Is that right?" Tatsumi said, feeling increasingly more uncomfortable from this conversation.

**"Shut the hell up." **The Abomination snapped. **"Perhaps I'm rubbing off on you too much. Yes, yes, that must be it." **It clicked its tongue. **"You refuse to accept me so the system is forcibly merging us together."**

Tatsumi cracked his neck and his fingers, "Care to explain?"

** "You and I share a bond that this world has never seen." **It suggested. **"You may choice not to accept me but there will be consequences for not doing so."**

"And that is one of them?"

The reflection rippled,** "Precisely."**

**"Because you're the only creature I actually like, there is no one else I'd rather have as a partner." **The Abomination replied. **"I much prefer you the way you were though; unsoiled if you will." **It added.

The brown-haired swordsman sighed and tilted his head back. He was trying to hide it but was actually touched by Abomination's "concern." He wasn't sure why but he felt like an "old friend" was telling him these things. This paradox of familiar and unfamiliar was strange but it felt strangely justified.

"Abomination?"

**"Hmm?"**

"I realized I never asked you something."

The Abomination's reflection blinked. **"And what is that?"**

"Do you have a name?"

**"Eh?"**

He laid his head back. "I'm kind of curious to be honest." The water rippled, "I've just been calling you Abomination this whole time."

The creature hummed, **"I find it strange that you're asking me this now." **

"Well, you were harassing me the whole time."

**"I prefer 'tormenting.'"**

The green-eyed teen rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Are you going to answer my question or what?"

The Abomination was silent, seemingly deciding upon its response. For some reason, Tatsumi felt his heart swell. He didn't understand it, but there are a lot of things he didn't understand.

**"[...]" **A cry of shock quickly followed. **"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!? I COULDN'T HEAR MY OWN VOICE! DID YOU HEAR IT!?"**

"Uh, no."

**"FUCKING GODDAMN BULLSHIT!" **The Abomination roared, it's rage causing the bath water to literally boil.

Instantly, Tatsumi felt the rising heat of the bath water. His cheeks burned red as the intensify heat surged through his body. To make matter worse, the water was boiling and it was starting to burn like fire.

"L-look just c-calm down."

**"I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! THAT IS WHY I DIDN'T SAY MY NAME EARLIER!" **The water practically exploded, spraying boiling water over. **"I'M DONE! THEY'VE BEEN FUCKING WITH OUR HEADS! THOSE FILTHY DOGS! " **It calmed down. **"My name is [...]" **A pause. **"FUCK!"**

With that, the water practically turned red.

"OUCH!"

A cry of pain echoed through the night.

* * *

**1 Day until Rating Game**

"There is something I don't understand."

An eyebrow twitched as a judgmental sigh resonated in the air. A pair of green eyes narrows as they slid over at Rias, the producer of the sigh. The pure-blooded devil's look was in complete "how did you do this" mode and she even had hand on hip for emphasis.

She closed her eyes, "How in the world do you burn yourself in the bath tub?"

"No need to sound so condescending."

Sitting on the couch was Tatsumi, his entire bottom half was wrapped in bandages and one could see even more bandages underneath his workout shirt. He was obviously angry but it didn't seem to deter the other peerage members from sharing their king's feelings.

"And as for why I got burned in the bath tub." A vein popped on Tatsumi's forehead. "I guess I just got careless."

_**"I said I was sorry." **_The Abomination said.

_"Being sorry doesn't excuse third-degree burns!"_

**_"Be thankful that your body heals quickly."_**

Kiba, who was standing in the doorway, cleared his throat. "How exactly were you careless enough to actually burn yourself?"

"What are you a scientist now?" Was the sarcastic quip.

"Anyways," Rias interrupted, trying to prevent an argument. "What are we supposed to do while you're recovering from your burns?" She asked.

The brown-haired swordsman pointed a bandaged finger that Rias. "Can't say that I'm in love with your tone right now." He shrugged and relaxed his arm. "You're in charge for today, teach them whatever you want."

"Are you sure that is wise?" She asked.

He sighed, "It was what I had planned anyways." Both hands were raised. "Eight days were for training with me and two days were for you to take over."

"I see."

"But there is something that I want to say." He said, relaxing on the couch even more. "You have the advantage, you just need to use it effectively."

The peerage members who knew what that meant nodded. They _did _have because they trained and got stronger, much stronger in these last nine days. The rest just came down to appropriate strategy to make full use of what they had.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Rias-senpai." He stated, a smile growing on his face. "If you win let's make an agreement."

Surprised, the red-haired devil blinked and glanced at Akeno who seemed to be as surprised as her. "What is it?"

"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead." He reciting, confusing everyone. "Just walk besides me and be my friend."

He reached a hand out. "So be my friends." A friendly smile stretched across his face. "And win."

Rias blinked a couple of times but took the hand and shook it. "Sure thing." She said, flashing a smile of her own.

In the background, the other members of the peerage had mixed expressions but they all breathed a sigh of relief. This didn't mean they were the closet of friends or anything but it was a start. It was the start of mutual trust.

"Good. Now get going."

* * *

**Day of Rating Game**

Tatsumi whistled as he cleaned and polished a glass. The brown-haired teen was currently at the Arlington Cafe doing one of his many jobs, being the bartender. Normally, the bar seats would have been filled up and he wouldn't have time to clear the glasses as thoroughly as he was. As fate would have it, today was a slow day.

"Good afternoon, sir." An elegant voice said.

The brown-haired bartender turned his head to the side and almost instantly felt a flush of heat enter his face. In front of him was one of the most beautiful women had ever seen. The woman in question was dressed like a maid, probably an employee at a local maid cafe. She has long shoulder blade length hair, not a single hair was out of place. Her eyes were a deep cerulean that remained forward facing and focused. She wore makeup, a light pink layer covered her lips and a modest amount decorated her eyes.

Seemingly noticing that Tatsumi was staring at her, a smile graced her lipstick covered lips. "Excuse me sir."

Stuttering, he sheepishly responded with, "S-sorry, I wasn't staring."

The maid giggled. "Don't worry, that is quite alright." She said, before placing a piece of paper on the table. "I'm here to pick up an order for my master."

"Master?" The brown-haired male said, picking up the paper and reading it. "I actually fixed that order just before you entered." He slid the paper back to the maid. "Wait here, I go and get it for you."

The maid smiled with a bow. "Thank you sir."

Tatsumi pulled at his collar and went into the back to get the order. A few minutes passed before he returned with a large paper bag and placed it on the table.

"Here you go," He pushed the bag towards the maid, "That will be-"

"3,500 yen." The maid finished, already depositing the money on the counter. "That includes tax."

He gaped in shock. "T-that's exactly right."

She took the bag, smiled, and bowed. "Thank you for your service sir."

Tatsumi watched as she left. _"What a polite lady too bad I didn't catch her name." _He thought before going back to what he was doing.

A few moments later he felt a humming at his waist. Looking down, he found his phone was the source.

_"Must be Koneko-chan." _He thought, reaching for his phone to answer it.

"Hello?"

There was no response but someone was definitely breathing on the other side. Yep, it was definitely Koneko on the other end. This was something that she did from time to time. He didn't ask and she didn't tell.

"Hello?

_"...senpai."_

"How did the rating game go?"

_"We...won"_

He smiled brightly. "I knew you guys could do it!" A glance out the window.

There was a black cat sitting on the window still. The cat was completely black and its eyes were a bright lime green color. It appeared to be a black Burmilla judging by the size and its facial features, but Tatsumi wasn't for sure. The cat was just...staring. It was staring at him specifically.

_"What a beautiful cat." _The brown-haired swordsman noted despite the cat's staring making him uncomfortable. _"T-those eyes sure are piercing."_

The cat yawned before jumping of the window sill and scampering off before disappearing into an nearby alleyway. Even with that cat gone, Tatsumi felt like something was still staring at him. He didn't quite know why that cat was looking at him so intently but it was...unsettling to say the least.

_"Well that was strange." _He narrowed his eyes. "Hmm? Sorry, it's nothing Koneko-chan."

* * *

The silvery rays of the moon shone through the broken pieces of rose-glass of the old and abandoned church. It was painfully obvious by the destroyed interior, the broken glass, and cob-webs that hung from the rotting remains like ghosts. Adding to the poor condition, there were also bullet holes in practically everything but the ceiling.

A figure dressed in black walked into the where the moonlight shone in, it's footsteps echoing with every movement. The figured looked around and finally shook its head.

"You would tell from the outside this place was a church." It whistled. "But on the inside, it looks more like a haunted mansion, it even has the bullet holes."

A new voice, this one female chimed in. "Haunted mansions don't have bullet holes."

"Maybe not." The male figure responded, reaching for something around his waist. "But, bullet holes mean the man we've been looking for has been here."

Suddenly, the male threw a white power into the air. As the power settled, some particles remained in the air, creating ghost-like figures watched silent as the ghost-like entities fought each other, replaying the events of days long past.

A few moments went by before a group of red entities phase through the door and one of the white entities from earlier emerged from the underground, holding a black colored entity. Then, the black colored entity returned as a red one. How interesting.

"Hmm,"

"Sir?" The female asked.

"Two humans, one lost a hand." He observed, "A group of five devils and a deceased person." He glanced over at broken window to see vague remnants of a red entity. "Make that six devils, someone was watching undetected."

"But weren't fallen angels here as well?"

The male nodded. "But, strangely, there are no traces of them."

"Erased?"

"Probably by a magician or another fallen angel." He replied. "But I'm it would have to be someone with knowledge of my invention."

"And the white figures? They're humans right?" The woman asked, motioning to fold her arms. "The red ones are devils."

The male nodded, "White means human, red means devil, blue means angel, purple means fallen angel, " He listed, "And black...means death."

The female cocked her head, "Is one of them our man?"

"Yes," He answered with a nod.

"Where is he now?"

The male didn't answer but he raised his hand and snapped. Instantly, a series of nearly miniature explosions occured, lightening up the otherwise dark background. One by one, each explosion went off and lingered in the air, weaving together to form an image of a burning triangular Celtic Knot.

"He's far away." He stated. "But, he will be back."

"So we wait?"

"We wait." The man turned around, revealing a silver cross in the moonlight.

The female stepped forward into a shower of moonlight, revealing a red cape and large sword. "Amen, Father."

"Amen, Sister Red."

* * *

**ANs:**

_**Wait Related:**_

_A Long Time Coming_

So its been over a year since the last update of this story. The reason for that can be attributed to a few different things which I won't go into detail on. College sucks up a lot of your free time...even if you're a member of the "go-home club." Then the beta wasn't here a lot of the time and a lot of other things. I think the last time I heard from home was...Feb 4th. Yeah.

I make no apologizes though.

_**Story Related:**_

_Be __Vigilant_

This chapter gave me fits, it was by far the hardest chapter to right ever. It went through extensive rework and rewrite before I finished it. I also apologize if the quality is down. I literally haven't written in a long time so as I was basically learning how to write again as I was writing. That is probably the reason this chapter is the way it is.

So, keep an eye out for any logic gaps, spelling errors, and grammatical errors. Considering the amount of rewrite and rework there are probably some. And, I ask, that you be constructive. I won't get any better if you're not constructive.

_Chapter 6_

Already 25% done. I didn't phone it in and worked on just this chapter during the time I had. I don't have an ETA, because those are dangerous, but I'll try my best to get it before college starts again.

_Searching for Additional Beta Readers_

Yep, you're probably thinking "Then why not use the Beta-reader function?" Because the system is flawed and it is probably easier to ask directly. The system _should _tell you the last day they logged on and it _should _tell you how long they've been a member. But, it doesn't.

I already have one, Rumle5, if he still wants it. I apologize for not keeping you in the loop (if he's reading this). I'm looking for three more to ensure there isn't such a gap in the future. If you're interested then...contact me.

_C_ancelled?

If this is cancelled I will tell you. Also, it being cancelled is **EXTREMELY **unlikely considering all the time and thought I've put into it. I have a vendetta/agenda with this thing now. It will be finished even if it takes five years (Which I hope it doesn't).

_Why no Rating Game?_

Do you even want to see it? Do you truly want to see what happened? It didn't put it in this chapter beause it was way too much effort

_Poll Results_

Remember that poll I made like a really long time ago? Well, since it has been about a year I think it is time for it to close. The four top candidates are:

1). Akame- 39 votes

2). Esdese - 36 votes

3). Leone - 31

4). Mein - 16

Keep in mind the poll was mostly for "reference." There is no guarantee that the winners will be in it. What decides if they get in or not depends on how easy they are to write into the story and if they don't "clutter" things up.

_If you hate ANs_

You can say what you want about my ANs and their abundance, but you seem to be overlooking an important detail. You are the one choosing to read them. That is like hating cake and choosing to eat it anyways. Explain your flawed logic to me. Besides, I like to think of it as my "signature" some don't write A/Ns and write long ones.

_Burmilla_

It's a breed of cat if that wasn't obvious. It originated from the United Kingdom in 1981 and is actually the result of a cross between Chinchilla Persian and Burmese breeds. I read somewhere that Burmillas were a rare breed of cat but I imagine they'd be even rarer in places like Japan. Maybe not.

_**DxD Related Things**_

_Valkyries_

Valkyries are all female (probably) and they're called Half-God. So, there must be a way that Valkyries can reproduce in a way that will always be a Valkyrie. In other words, there is something they mate with that will always end up being a Valkyrie. It probably isn't a human since Valkyries live in Valhalla (most likely) and the only thing I can think of that would be there are Einherjars. It is obviously something if Rossweisse has a grandmother and a cousin.

_*Spoiler* Le Fay *Spoiler* (Sort of)_

Does anyone know how old she is? It is just a curious question about her age. I know that she _looks _like a middle schooler but so does Ravel and Koneko. I can't remember that is what her actual age group was or not. I don't remember if they actually said her age either.

_**Off-Topic**_

_The Fate Series_

After doing rather extensive research, I now appreciate that series a lot more and recognize I made serious lapse in judgement. It is well written but not even close to being one of my favorites, maybe like in the top 15. Now that my knowledge has expanded I will probably attempt another Fate story in the future.

As an exercise, I attempted to write other characters from other series into the Fate Universe as servants, mostly AGK. And that crude is really, really, really hard. I ended having to "jump the gun" with some of them, Akame and Esdese especially. I had to resort to things like this:

(This was for Assassin Class Akame)

Skill Name: Night of the Red Eyed Killer  
Rank: A+  
Summary:  
At night, Akame's stats receive a Rank-Up, halves or nullifies negative effects, and allows her a preemptive strike against foes. This skill is nullified at dawn and is activated at dusk. While active, Akame's eyes glow red and gain a contrail.

(And this was for Saber Akame)

NP Name: Flag of Revolution  
Rank: B-  
Class: Anti-Army  
Summary:  
Akame "summons" the flag of the Revolutionary Army. This flag causes members of the Revolutionary Army to appear. Each soldier possesses an E- rank in Independent Action and can carry a wide of variety of armaments. A luck roll is done to determine if any of these soldiers possesses a Teigu. One could say this is the result of the collective wills of the entire Revolutionary Army.

See what I mean? It's hard. If you want to see the ones that I still have than ask. They're not fantastic but they were definitely a challenge. My favorite servant is actually Sakura Saber (Souji Okita) but...that Weak Constitution though. The Reduced Earth skill is pretty cool.

_Bloodstained Ritual of the Night_

This is the name of a kickstarter that I backed a while ago. It is a metroidvania styled game made by Koji Igarashi, commonly known as Iga, whom served as Assistant Director on Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and produced several of the other Castlevanias such as Aria of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia, Portrait of Ruin, Harmony of Despair, etc. Last week, the game got a Demo and it was pretty solid for a game that is only 10% completed. It can only get better so keep that in mind.

If you're interested then I would suggest looking it up. Also, the Kickstarter actually ended a long time ago but you can still "Slacker Back." If you're not interested then keep it yourself, yeah? I don't want to hear why because it doesn't affect me one way or another.

I'm sharing this because it is definitely something that I will write something for.

I think that is all I have for now so...yeah.

Questions, comments, concerns?


End file.
